Congratulations! Today is your day. You're off to
Great Places! You're off and away!
You have brains in your head.You have feet in your
shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.
You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are
the guy who'll decide where to go.
You'll look up and down streets. Look 'em over with
care. About some you will say, "I don't choose to go there."
With your head full of brains and your shoes full of
feet, you're too smart to go down any not-so-good street.
And you may not find any you'll want to go down. In
that case, of course, you'll head straight out of town.
It's opener there in the wide open air.
Out there things can happen and frequently do to
people as brainy and footsy as you.
And when things start to happen, don't worry. Don't
stew. Just go right along. You'll start happening too.
OH! THE PLACES YOU'LL GO!
You'll be on your way up! You'll be seeing great sights!
You'll join the high fliers who soar to high heights.
You won't lag behind, because you'll have the speed. You'll
pass the whole gang and you'll soon take the lead.
Wherever you fly, you'll be the best of the best. Wherever
you go, you will top all the rest.
Except when you don't, Because, sometimes, you won't.
I'm sorry to say so but, sadly, it's true and
Hang-ups can happen to you.
You can get all hung up in a prickle-ly perch. And
your gang will fly on. You'll be left in a Lurch.
You'll come down from the Lurch with an unpleasant
bump. And the chances are, then, that you'll be in a Slump.
And when you're in a Slump, you're not in for much
fun. Un-slumping yourself is not easily done.
You will come to a place where the streets are not
marked. Some windows are lighted.
But mostly they're darked. A place you could sprain both
your elbow and chin!
Do you dare to stay out? Do you dare to go in? How much can
you lose? How much can you win?
And IF you go in, should you turn left or right... or
right-and-three-quarters? Or, maybe, not quite?
Or go around back and sneak in from behind? Simple it's
not, I'm afraid you will find, for a mind-maker-upper to make up his mind.
You can get so confused that you'll start in to
race down long wiggled roads at a break-necking pace and grind on for
miles across weirdish wild space, headed, I fear, toward a most useless
place.
The Waiting Place... for people just waiting. Waiting for a
train to go or a bus to come, or a plane to go or the mail to come,
or the rain to go, or the phone to ring, or the snow to snow, or
waiting around for a Yes or a No, or waiting for their hair to
grow. Everyone is just waiting.
Waiting for the fish to bite, or waiting for wind to fly a
kite, or waiting around for Friday night,
or waiting, perhaps, for their Uncle Jake, or a pot to
boil, or a Better Break, or a string of pearls, or a pair of
pants, or a wig with curls, or Another Chance. Everyone is just
waiting.
NO! That's not for you!
Somehow you'll escape all that waiting and
staying. You'll find the bright places where Boom Bands are playing.
With banner flip-flapping, once more you'll ride
high! Ready for anything under the sky. Ready because you're that kind
of a guy!
Oh, the places you'll go! There is fun to be done! There are
points to be scored. There are games to be won.
And the magical things you can do with that ball will make
you the winning-est winner of all.
Fame! You'll be famous as famous can be, with the whole
wide world watching you win on TV.
Except when they don't. Because, sometimes, they won't.
I'm afraid that some time you'll play lonely games
too. Games you can't win 'cause you'll play against you.
All Alone! Whether you like it or not, Alone will be
something you'll be quite a lot.
And when you're alone, there's a very good chance you'll
meet things that scare you right out of your pants.
There are some, down the road between hither and yon, that
can scare you so much you won't want to go on.
But on you will go though the weather be foul, On you
will go though your enemies prowl.
On you will go though the Hakken-Kraks howl, Onward up
many a frightening creek,
though your arms may get sore and your sneakers may leak.
On and on you will hike, and I know you'll hike
far, and face up to your problems, whatever they are.
You'll get mixed up, of course, as you already
know. You'll get mixed up with many strange birds as you go.
So be sure when you step. Step with care and great
tact and remember that Life's a Great Balancing Act.
Just never forget to be dexterous and deft. And never mix
up your right foot with your left.
And will you succeed? Yes! You will, indeed! (98 and
3/4 percent guaranteed.)
KID, YOU'LL MOVE MOUNTAINS!
So... be your name Buxbaum or Bixby or Bray, or
Mordecai Ali Van Allen O'Shea, you're off to Great Places!
Today is your day! Your
mountain is waiting. So...get on your way!
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