“A Rhyme is something without which I would probably be in the dry-cleaning business.” ~ Theodor Geisel
Indeed, one wonders if we didn’t have the talents that God gave to us, where would we be?
Maybe I should have saved this post for March. That is, after all, the birthdate of this brilliant man. Have you heard of the name Theodor Geisel? How about Theo Lesieg? If you don’t know him by those two names, then perhaps Rosetta Stone or perhaps the name Dr. Theophrastus Seuss which he used in college may at least ring a bell… for surely you know him by his most popular pen name, Dr. Seuss. If you haven’t heard of Dr. Seuss….well… you need to go buy some books!
Dr. Seuss published 46 children’s books for which he is well-known for. His first published book was actually And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street though he is probably best known for The Cat in the Hat, a book that he wrote when given a list of 348 words that every six-year-old should know. The book contains 236 of the words from that list… this was no small feat. This accomplishment took talent….and several ideas which he ended up scraping! This book is a wonderful beginner book – a book that I used myself in my classroom as a teaching tool for learning support children when I taught in the public schools and will no doubt use with my toddler one day soon! He already loves the story!
Ruth K MacDonald, an author, claims that without The Cat in the Hat, Dr. Seuss would not have been the acclaimed, well-known author that he is today. Perhaps, but I sort of doubt that. My personal opinion is that yes, The Cat in the Hat does seem to be his most popular book, but Dr. Seuss has many, many popular books. Theodore Geisel wrote most of his books in a poetic meter termed anapestic tetrameter which was used by many poets and is often suggested as one of the main reasons Geisel’s writing was so well embraced by children and their parents. Indeed, in the quote above, Geisel knew how much he relied on his ability to use rhyme!
Rhyme was truly a talent of his…as was his vivid imagination. And vivid imaginations is important for any writer. without imagination, we have no business even attempting the field! One does need a skill or talent in any area one decides to perform or take part in.
My dear daughter is majoring in criminology. Whether she sticks with the major or not is to be determined… so far so good! It is a major that fits her. She has always had the curious mind to know what makes things tick. What makes people do the things they do? Why do people stray from the rules? In her elementary years in the public school, she often got into trouble for reporting on what others were doing which was not according to the rule book! I wonder what her teacher, Mrs. Wilson, would say to know that she is now a criminology major? My point is, whether your talent is rhyme, observing others and details, math, environmental awareness, cooking or educating, then that is what should lead you in life. That is the skill God gave you to make use of. Your choice in life should lead you to say. “Without this ___________, where would I be?”
Dr. Seuss said he’d be in the dry-cleaning business. Something he would obviously find dull and not as uplifting. Where are you today? Immersed in the rhyme of a field that uplifts you? Or are you stuck doing someone else’s dry cleaning? Everyone’s story is different…. but if you are finding yourself stuck… is there a way out? There usually is, though harder for some than others. But why do dry-cleaning just because it puts dinner on the table if you can do the same thing and use the talents that God gave you? Just some thoughts for this Saturday…. and here’s a few more;)
Random Thoughts For Saturday:
- A person is a person no matter how small. ~ Dr. Seuss in Horton Hears A Who
- Most folks are about as happy as they make up their minds to be. ~ Abraham Lincoln
- Snow is cold. I know – you already knew that.
- Getting daily sunshine is more important than most people realize. 10-20 minutes out in the natural sunshine without sunblock should be part of your daily routine (I’m trying to work on that one myself…)
- I believe blocks, or any type of building toys, are the most brilliantly creative toy a child can possess- it is amazing what a creative mind can do with blocks!
- Students who read widely and frequently are higher achievers than students who read rarely and narrowly.
- Ketchup is supposed to be a condiment, not the main course.
- Those moments of challenge that we are offered whereby we do NOT become unglued are moments of grace offered to us by our Lord to show us that we CAN choice to be merciful and calm… Becoming unglued is something we CAN overcome.
- Rhyme is awesome!
The Many Hats of an Orthodox Mom 
I have to admit that when I saw the name Theodor Geisel, it did not ring an immediate bell. Then I remembered. Dr. Seuss books are a staple in our house too. Our ease into “reading by yourself”. Personally, I have always thought Green Eggs and Ham knocked the socks off of Cat in the Hat (just my opinion) and his ABC book is how I introduced each of my 4 girls to letters and phonics. You gave out pretty interesting advice along with his quote. Thinking about it, it was that assumption that your God given talent should be your vocation that gave me my final push to homeschool this year. I have always loved and am really good at teaching children. And what was made me, in part, to decide to go back to school this Summer, and every Summer for many years to come, to get some sort of degree in social services and working with children. I think another indicator would be, do you find yourself loving it while you are in the middle of actually doing it? Do you have sun light do help you get more sunshine in the winter? I finally got one last year. We live in a very cloudy and Northern part of the country and it’s a must.
Cheers,
Leah
I LOVE Green Eggs and Ham! In fact, one of my son’s ‘site words’ is SAM…simply because he recognized it in the book, so why not add it to the list of words he has? And his ABC book is falling apart!
We don’t get a lot of sunshine. We live in northern Pennsylvania. It could be worse…. but sometimes Florida or Hawaii sound awfully tempting! I’m going to try and force myself outside this winter. From what I read, getting out even on overcast days is helpful. But oh how I dislike the cold!!!
Thanks for reading my blog and making the comments. I love getting comments! 🙂 And it’s so wonderful that you are able to homeschool. It’s such a blessing that I wish more families would take an opportunity to explore.
So many thoughts on this post! Love it! But before I forget – I will have to look up that book you have mentioned at least twice “Unglued”? because I just posted about my short fuse… and apparently Someone is leading me to something. It’s a good thing I read two of the posts you mentioned unglued in, because it didn’t hit the first time…
I wouldn’t have known about it either if someone hadn’t mentioned it a couple times on facebook! It’s a book with a message(s) that have really stuck with me… even used it this morning…just whispering encouraging words to myself in a ‘sticky’ situation in which I did NOT want to become unglued… it worked! 🙂 And with each moment I enable myself to pass by without becoming undone, it gives me more strength to get through the next!
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