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 times
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!



=======

vocabulary:

 hang-up= something that causes you to feel worried, afraid, embarrassed, etc.   

lag behind= to not be at the level that someone or something else has already achieved  

be left in a Lurch=  to leave someone waiting for or anticipating your actions/ to leave someone at a time when they need you to stay and help them

slump= An extended period of poor performance, especially in a sport or competitive activity

wiggle= to move up and down or from side to side with short quick motions

somehow= in a way that is not known or certain

dexterous=  having or showing great skill or cleverness

deft= skillful and clever

Some wisdom from Bill Watterson

vocabulary:

reflect- to show or be a sign of a particular situation or feeling:

ex. The drop in consumer spending reflects concern about the economy.

values- a strongly held belief about what is valuable, important, or acceptable

ex. Her husband's values differ from hers.

relentless-  continuing without becoming weaker, less severe, etc.

ex. Her relentless optimism held the team together. ▪ relentless winds

avarice- ([noncount] formal + disapproving) a strong desire to have or get money : greed

eccentric- a person who acts in strange or unusual ways : an eccentric person

subversive- subversive ideas, activities etc are secret and intended to damage or destroy a government or an established system


afford (+someone or something) - to supply or provide (something needed or wanted) to someone

 ex. All of the rooms afford views of the lake. ▪ He was afforded the opportunity to work for a judge.

flake- someone who seems strange or who does not pay attention or  tends to forget things

live up to (something) - if something or someone lives up to a particular standard or promise, they do as well as they were expected to, do what they promised, etc.

ex. The film has certainly lived up to  my  expectations.

potential- an ability that someone has that can be developed to help that person become successful

ex. The team's newest player shows great potential. ▪ He has the potential to be one of the team's best players. ▪ She has leadership potential. [=she could become a successful leader] ▪