Carmela Dutra's Blog - Posts Tagged "lessons"
Dr. Seuss Day!
I am a HUGE Dr. Seuss fan, and really who isn’t? March 2nd is a special day for us Seuss fans, for it is Dr. Seuss Day! What does this mean? It means we look back over the years and reflect on all of his creations from And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street, to Oh, The Places You’ll Go! (Which just happens to be my personal favorite by the Dr. himself) Thinking about all of the works he gave us, how have they made an impact in the field of Children’s Literature?
I do not think there is one person among us who would disagree by my saying Theodor Seuss Geisel a.k.a Dr. Seuss was a literally genius! However, is it fair for us to say that his books contributed to society? I feel the answer is a big YES!
How many of us have ever read something that inspired us to bigger, and greater things? How many after reading Night by Elie Wiesel were not moved and affected by the account of a Jewish author was sent to Auschwitz at 15-years-old. His story of personal struggle, heartbreak, and passion. Or, Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck. Giving us new meaning to the American dream, focusing on power and a friendship that will enrage you with jealousy (but in a good way).
Dr. Seuss showed a respect for literature, poetry, and the essence of childhood that many other authors have failed or not come near enough to achieve. Through his works, he shows an endearment to the innocence of children. Showing us that childhood is the purest, most clever, and most important moment in one’s life.
Dr. Seuss helped to transform children’s literature into something that can be appreciated by more than children. His whimsical style and rhyming schemes were elements that came to be appreciated by children, but over time, his works seem to acquire more meaning as the initial child reader grows up and becomes an adolescent and adult. The work itself does not change, but the reader does, and in looking at the same work over time, new levels of meaning emerge.
His stories not only entertain, but teach us invaluable lessons. In the words of Dr. Seuss, “There is no one alive who is Youer than You.” Make the most of what you’ve got. In Yertle the Turtle, we see “feather envy” and it’s a gentle reminder to be careful what you wish for and appreciate what you’ve got.
As mentioned earlier my favorite Seuss book is Oh, the Places you’ll go! As a child it was a fun read, it made me think about what I would do. But now as an adult it has much deeper meaning to me. Life is a great balancing act with ups and downs, but it’s up to us to chose what road we will go down.
Dr Seuss gives such wise advice:
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 a 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.
As the rest of the poem goes on it gets very interesting. What I love most about this poem is that he points out you’ll have times when you’re lonely, or scared about walking down the road you've chosen. When you want to turn back but you’ll go on regardless. That is life for you, that is all part of its rich tapestry. we are not alone, other people are walking their own road right beside us. They too have these fears – am I good enough? Will I succeed? Can I do this? But we do, because…
You are off to great places.
Today is your day
Your mountain is waiting
So get on your way!
Wishing you all a little to Adventure today!
Carmela Dutra
Author of The Adventures of Lorenzo the Bear Series
www.Lorenzothebear.com
Twitter.com/Lorenzothebear @lorenzothebear
Facebook.com/Lorenzothebear (Like me!)
www.ablogforyourthoughts.com
Future Phobias
Can you believe that January is almost over! Where did the time go!? 2015 flew by in a flash, and now January 2016 is almost gone? Things are moving so fast, it’s hard to keep up with everything! I’m sure you’ll likely feel the same way as you’re embracing the new year, taking on the challenges of life, family, resolutions, etc.
Since early December I have been somewhat quiet on social media, you might be wondering why. Or perhaps you are thinking yes those weekly emails have stopped alerting me to a new blog! Either way, allow me to introduce you to the reason why as of late I have been almost nonexistent in the social realm.
Meet the newest member of our family, Levi!
He came a whole month early, which took us entirely by surprise! I have been settling into my new role as a mother, spending quality time bonding (you know during those 2am feelings, and again at 4am lol). Thus is the reason I have been almost MIA since December, a pretty good reason I would say.
As all of us know and will likely agree (and has recently been impressed upon me), life is full of unplanned surprises. By knowing and accepting this, we can start to overthink everything all could possibly come our way. Being that we are imperfect humans, this can be a real struggle for some. I know for myself, I like to have everything planned out to the T! Alas, that is not always possible (again see the above paragraph) and I have to roll with the punches of life.
That being said, I resolve to cast aside future phobias, and the unnecessary worry about what might be. I resolve to just roll with it. Okay yeah sure this time of year everyone makes their resolutions, and by March-ish I will guarantee that most will have given up on the resolutions, or simply forgotten them. I can speak from personal experience in this area. However, in addition to the other resolutions that I’ve already put down on paper, this is one that I am moving to the top of the list.
Being a new mother I can’t afford to fret over the things I can’t control. Am I going to screw him up? Am I going to be too strict, or too lenient as a parent? How will I know what to do, and when to do it? When you start to think about it the list is Endless! And really, in the end what is it going to accomplish? Nothing! There I said, and I will say it again. Big fat nothing! Zip, zero, nada!! Worrying about things beyond your control does not add anything to your life, in reality it only takes away.
So that’s it, I am choosing to cast future phobias aside. I will not allow them to have any hold on me. And this encompasses every aspect of my life beyond being a mother. What if I don’t get my next Lorenzo book finished before school is out in June? How will I manage everything and still have time for myself? What happens if I let my photography fall to the wayside and don’t book any clients this year?
Wouldn’t you agree with me when I say it always seems as if there is something new to worry about. It’s exhausting! But what if we choose to not do it anymore? What if we choose to just let it go? Whatever it is that is holding you back from peace? What if you just let it go and stop worrying about it?
A country song once said: Life’s a dance, you learn as you go. Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow.Don’t worry ’bout what you don’t know, life’s a dance, you learn as you go.
And that is life! You can’t control everything, and you can’t plan for everything (again I refer you to the above paragraphs), sometimes you just have to dance and let things come as they may.
So as hard as it may be, let’s just stop. Let’s try really really hard not to lose sleep over the things we can’t control in her life. Let’s stop worrying about the things that might happen, and just focus on what is happening. Before we know it 2016 is going to be gone, and 2017 will be here. Lets enjoy 2016 and all that it holds, because I have a feeling it is going to be one for the books!
Cheers!
www.ablogforyourthoughts.com
www.lorenzothebear.com
Since early December I have been somewhat quiet on social media, you might be wondering why. Or perhaps you are thinking yes those weekly emails have stopped alerting me to a new blog! Either way, allow me to introduce you to the reason why as of late I have been almost nonexistent in the social realm.
Meet the newest member of our family, Levi!
He came a whole month early, which took us entirely by surprise! I have been settling into my new role as a mother, spending quality time bonding (you know during those 2am feelings, and again at 4am lol). Thus is the reason I have been almost MIA since December, a pretty good reason I would say.
As all of us know and will likely agree (and has recently been impressed upon me), life is full of unplanned surprises. By knowing and accepting this, we can start to overthink everything all could possibly come our way. Being that we are imperfect humans, this can be a real struggle for some. I know for myself, I like to have everything planned out to the T! Alas, that is not always possible (again see the above paragraph) and I have to roll with the punches of life.
That being said, I resolve to cast aside future phobias, and the unnecessary worry about what might be. I resolve to just roll with it. Okay yeah sure this time of year everyone makes their resolutions, and by March-ish I will guarantee that most will have given up on the resolutions, or simply forgotten them. I can speak from personal experience in this area. However, in addition to the other resolutions that I’ve already put down on paper, this is one that I am moving to the top of the list.
Being a new mother I can’t afford to fret over the things I can’t control. Am I going to screw him up? Am I going to be too strict, or too lenient as a parent? How will I know what to do, and when to do it? When you start to think about it the list is Endless! And really, in the end what is it going to accomplish? Nothing! There I said, and I will say it again. Big fat nothing! Zip, zero, nada!! Worrying about things beyond your control does not add anything to your life, in reality it only takes away.
So that’s it, I am choosing to cast future phobias aside. I will not allow them to have any hold on me. And this encompasses every aspect of my life beyond being a mother. What if I don’t get my next Lorenzo book finished before school is out in June? How will I manage everything and still have time for myself? What happens if I let my photography fall to the wayside and don’t book any clients this year?
Wouldn’t you agree with me when I say it always seems as if there is something new to worry about. It’s exhausting! But what if we choose to not do it anymore? What if we choose to just let it go? Whatever it is that is holding you back from peace? What if you just let it go and stop worrying about it?
A country song once said: Life’s a dance, you learn as you go. Sometimes you lead, sometimes you follow.Don’t worry ’bout what you don’t know, life’s a dance, you learn as you go.
And that is life! You can’t control everything, and you can’t plan for everything (again I refer you to the above paragraphs), sometimes you just have to dance and let things come as they may.
So as hard as it may be, let’s just stop. Let’s try really really hard not to lose sleep over the things we can’t control in her life. Let’s stop worrying about the things that might happen, and just focus on what is happening. Before we know it 2016 is going to be gone, and 2017 will be here. Lets enjoy 2016 and all that it holds, because I have a feeling it is going to be one for the books!
Cheers!
www.ablogforyourthoughts.com
www.lorenzothebear.com
Letter to my younger self
Oh if I only knew…..
Words we’ve all heard and said ourselves, many times over I’m sure. A group of us bloggers decided to take those words and run with the idea to create a blog hop, where we write letters to our younger selves.
It’s thought-provoking, and cathartic in a way to reflect on the past and see how yourself has grown now way in the present life. It also allows you the opportunity to reflect on the past.
Be sure to check out the awesome bloggers listed below who share their letter to their younger selves. You too can join us easy peasy! Let s get started shall we…
A letter to Carmela,
Oh boy, where do I start?? I want to give you some prolific advice but I’m finding it rather difficult to do so, and this is for two reasons. First, because I know us, and we are very stubborn. There are times when I do something simply in protest to being told I can’t do it. Not all of the time, just some of the time. So if I know myself, and if I tell you not to do something, well… then chances are you most likely will do it just to prove a point.
I will be the first to say that I’m a type a person who will cut off my nose to spite my face. So I guess what I would say is that stubbornness, when wielded wisely can result in wonderful blessings! So many people say stubbornness is a bad thing, but if you want something badly enough and are prepared to work towards the and result, it will happen.
The second reason would be that mystery in life is a good thing! If I start telling you too much about the future then it will take the mystery out of things. As you grow, things are going to happen that you were not going to see coming. Some good, some bad, and some will catch you entirely by surprise!
So instead of telling you of all the important things to expect, I guess the way I’m going to give you advice is by giving you a few things to keep in mind. This way I don’t take the mystery out of things, and I don’t bring our stubbornness and to play. Let’s face it we have enough stubbornness to go around and then some, why add to it.
First and foremost, never forget the relationship that you have with God. That is what will get you through every difficult trial you will ever face in life. You’re going to face some devastation, but with every rain cloud comes a beautiful rainbow!
You will have the tendency to look at the glass as half empty with the dust of the remains of what once was. Which is totally fine! Negativity is apart of life in this system, and sometimes you have to feel a little down to fully appreciate the good around you. However, it’s also OK to look at that same glass as half full. Focusing on the prospects that lie ahead, the good that you have, and the blessings you have experienced.
Thanks for reading the letter to the younger me! To finish reading the letter to my younger self, and for more letters to a younger self, please visit my blog site. www.ablogforyourthoughts.com
Words we’ve all heard and said ourselves, many times over I’m sure. A group of us bloggers decided to take those words and run with the idea to create a blog hop, where we write letters to our younger selves.
It’s thought-provoking, and cathartic in a way to reflect on the past and see how yourself has grown now way in the present life. It also allows you the opportunity to reflect on the past.
Be sure to check out the awesome bloggers listed below who share their letter to their younger selves. You too can join us easy peasy! Let s get started shall we…
A letter to Carmela,
Oh boy, where do I start?? I want to give you some prolific advice but I’m finding it rather difficult to do so, and this is for two reasons. First, because I know us, and we are very stubborn. There are times when I do something simply in protest to being told I can’t do it. Not all of the time, just some of the time. So if I know myself, and if I tell you not to do something, well… then chances are you most likely will do it just to prove a point.
I will be the first to say that I’m a type a person who will cut off my nose to spite my face. So I guess what I would say is that stubbornness, when wielded wisely can result in wonderful blessings! So many people say stubbornness is a bad thing, but if you want something badly enough and are prepared to work towards the and result, it will happen.
The second reason would be that mystery in life is a good thing! If I start telling you too much about the future then it will take the mystery out of things. As you grow, things are going to happen that you were not going to see coming. Some good, some bad, and some will catch you entirely by surprise!
So instead of telling you of all the important things to expect, I guess the way I’m going to give you advice is by giving you a few things to keep in mind. This way I don’t take the mystery out of things, and I don’t bring our stubbornness and to play. Let’s face it we have enough stubbornness to go around and then some, why add to it.
First and foremost, never forget the relationship that you have with God. That is what will get you through every difficult trial you will ever face in life. You’re going to face some devastation, but with every rain cloud comes a beautiful rainbow!
You will have the tendency to look at the glass as half empty with the dust of the remains of what once was. Which is totally fine! Negativity is apart of life in this system, and sometimes you have to feel a little down to fully appreciate the good around you. However, it’s also OK to look at that same glass as half full. Focusing on the prospects that lie ahead, the good that you have, and the blessings you have experienced.
Thanks for reading the letter to the younger me! To finish reading the letter to my younger self, and for more letters to a younger self, please visit my blog site. www.ablogforyourthoughts.com
