“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”
I decided to pull out some old books this afternoon and found that this particular passage from Dr. Seuss’ classic, Oh, The Places You’ll Go!, resonated especially well with my current state—the kind of limbo that I have found myself to be in the last few weeks.
For starters, I am literally going places. Therefore, I can put Geisel’s book in context of the many Parisian landmarks I will see and the various countries I will travel to. I am about to begin a European expedition. The hard part is deciding just where to go. I want to see it all, but at the same time, I want to devote my experience to truly infusing myself with Paris. How do I balance travel and Parisian explorations when I have a limited amount of free time? Oh, how hard I have it.
The other possible context is a bit more ambiguous, a bit more in the dark. Just where will I go emotionally, morally, spiritually? Who will Jeff Jackson become while abroad (assuming that I even change at all that is)? Dr. Seuss advises us to step with care and great tact, and remember that life is one great balancing act. He seems to be fully aware that I am going to make plenty of mistakes, like I did my first year at NYU. But the mistakes I made as a freshman were incredibly valuable. I learned, and I moved on. And I am sure the choices I make while in France will be the same—inexplicably valuable.
No matter what is in store, I know I am in for something truly special. I am off to great places. I am off and away.
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