Oh, the Places You’ll Go!

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 sting of pearls, or a pair of pants
or a wig with curls, or Another Chance.
Everyone is just waiting.
--Theodor Seuss Geisel (1904-1991), Children's Author and Cartoonist
The photo above (taken at Willow Springs Park in Johnson City, TN) led me to the quote above from that best selling-graduation present "Oh, the Places You’ll Go!" In it, Dr. Seuss warns that our confusion and uncertainty can land us in "a most useless place. The Waiting Place." Waiting is so useless -- when because of fear or uncertainty or a lack of courage or motivation we hesitate to step out and live our lives purposefully. And so we wait and slouch deeper into our recliners while life rushes past us. And yet, there are those times when I think it's important to wait. In a society where action and performance (Git-R-Done!) are valued so much more than quiet contemplation, I think we sometimes forget that waiting can be a useful thing. Waiting forces us to get quiet, to stop and look and listen, to get focused, and to ponder and even to pray. So what's required of us -- action or prayer? Yes. Lord, give us the wisdom to know when to step forward and when to step back.

They that wait on the Lord, shall renew their strength;
They will rise up with wings as eagles.
--Isaiah 40:31

[click here for directions to Willow Springs Park]