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Sunday, September 28, 2014

How Lucky We Are

I'm just glad I'm not stuck on Zayt Highway Eight!
Hiya, Friends!  Happy Sunday to you!

Hey, have I ever talked to you about one of my favorite books?  It's Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? by Dr. Seuss.  I've probably talked to you about it, because it's such an influential book to me.  It really is. 

In case you're not familiar with this wonderful literary work, it starts out with this kid meeting this old fella in a desert, and the old fella is sitting on a cactus.  Apparently, this is local custom in deserts, and the old fella is not bothered by the prickliness of his chosen seat.  The kid must be having a bad day, because the old fella starts telling him all about these people he should be lucky he isn't.  Poogle-horn Players, people driving in Ga-Zayt, Hawtch-Hawtcher-Bee-Watchers, poor Ali Sard...

Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are? is full of people you hafta feel happy that you're not, because they've definitely got it worse than you, but at the same time, you've kinda gotta feel a sort of deep and abiding empathy for those folks.  It's a little schadenfreud-y, but not completely. I always feel better about life in general after I've had How Lucky You Are read to me.  I think if the people who are IN How Lucky You Are would feel better about things if they read the book themselves. ... I think they would, anyway.  Maybe they'd feel a little chuffed at being the example that says 'at least you're not this guy!' 

Wow.  I did not expect to take that turn, Friends!  But I maintain that each character in the book would probably read about another character in the book and decide that other character's circumstances are certainly worse than the one he's dealing with.  So there.  Everybody would still walk away feeling better about him or herself.

You should check it out, Friends!  Check out the book.  Maybe buy it for yourself and read it to yourself at least once a week, more often if you're feeling blue. 

And remember that I love ya.  See how lucky you are, Friends?!  You have a friend like me!  Hahahaha!  See ya tomorrow, Friends!  Muah!

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