Happy birthday to Dr. Seuss, whose real name was Theodor Seuss Geisel. Born March 2, 1904, Dr. Seuss wrote 44 children’s books, illustrated advertising campaigns, and worked in the U.S. Army animation department. In honor of his birthday, today is National Read Across America Day. Whether it is Dr. Seuss or something entirely different, pick up a book and read or read to the kiddos around you.

You're Only Old Once

In reading more about Dr. Seuss, I learned he pronounced his own pen name as “soice,” rhyming with “voice.” Many of his books were allegories and nods to political views and personal beliefs such as the arms race (Yertle the Turtle), racial equality (The Sneetches), and consumerism (How the Grinch Stole Christmas). Dr. Seuss battled throat cancer and wrote You’re Only Old Once!, an adult Seuss-style book about healthcare, after he spent a considerable amount of time in the hospital. Leave it to Dr. Seuss to find the comedy in being “properly pilled and properly billed.” Seuss died September 24, 1991, from throat cancer.

Dr. Seuss is a special part of many of our lives. We have and can continue to learn from him and his stories. One of my favorite Dr. Seuss stories is Did I Ever Tell You How Lucky You Are?, which reminds us of our perspectives on life. So, in honor of Dr. Seuss’ life, I thought we could all work together to create a nursing or healthcare version of this classic. Here are a few actual stanzas from the book:

And suppose that you lived
In that forest in France
Where the average young person
Just hasn’t a chance
To escape from the perilous
Pants eating plants!

You oughta be thankful
A whole heaping lot
For the people and places
You’re lucky you’re not.

Now, let’s try our own version. Whether you are in healthcare or not, feel free to add a stanza or two in the comments. Depending on the involvement, I’ll combine them all together and post the final version next week. Bust out your inner Thing, and don’t be afraid to make up words even. (Dr. Seuss was one of the greatest neologists ever as he created words like “nerd” and “grinch.”) I’ll start:

And suppose you worked
In a bustling GI lab
That hadn’t a restroom
Now that would be bad.

Or you managed a unit
Of nurses too busy
That ran round and round
And made you so dizzy
You fell to the ground
And had such a tizzy.

Be lucky you’re not
Poor YouTubed Phil Baumann
Whose tweetup left him unconscious
And made his unflattering Facebook pics too common.

Oh, remember, dear nurse
How lucky you are
To take that COW* with you
So you don’t walk too far.

Now, your turn! Leave a stanza or two or three in the comments.

*Computer On Wheels