Oh, The Places I’ve Seen

By Steve Messman

Doctor Seuss had it right. C’mon! Admit it! You’re a Dr. Seuss fan. How could you not be? All that colorful artwork. All those word-pictures. All those whimsical, made-up words and those fun rhymes and rhythms. One of my favorites is Oh, the Places You’ll Go. That visionary book is about magical places, personal choices, and controlling your future. For me, it did what Dr. Seuss imagined it would. It caused a personal awakening.

A Dr. Seuss awakening occurs every time I take a flying trip. I view a magical world through a different set of eyes, and am amazed at the kaleidoscope of colors, textures and shapes that I travel through. It always begins with the small things. At first, I travel on highways and byways on autopilot, but then, I begin to notice. I notice the light that slices through trees and mountain shadows. I wonder at thousands of Black-eyed Susans that spread their cheer along the road sides, the Lupine that paints valleys and hillsides purple, and those beautiful, white, daisy-like flowers so thick in July that my body shivers at thoughts of snow-covered pastures. I marvel at the leaves of Evening Primrose, and smile as those velvety, green leaves soften beams of light shattered by boughs of fir, pine, and cedar. I find myself becoming aware.

I notice towns, the unique design of their homes, the cleanliness of their streets, the politeness of their residents. I take the time to learn at least a little of their history, to understand some small amount of their culture. And I see what the people of that town do to make me feel welcome, to feel at home even though I am, to them, one of the thousands who might do nothing more than pass through.

And then the questions hit—every time. Why am I here? What cosmic event causes me to be in this place, in this moment? And always—every time—the answer is the same. I am here because I fly.

I have come to see that my passion of flying has opened my eyes to worlds of Dr. Seuss proportions, to people and cultures that I would never have visited, and to towns and histories lost to all but the handful of explorers who venture beyond their own doorsteps. Flying is the tool that has taken me to places and permitted me visions that would have thrilled Dr. Seuss. I have seen sunbeams break past Mount Hood at 5:30 in the morning only because I fly. Flying is the only reason I discovered the beauty of Grouse Mountain. It is the force that revealed Wallowa Lake and the glorious Wallowa Valley. It is the single reason that Lakeview, Oregon is on my list of favorite places. Flying is the only reason that I have come face to face with the Bavarian Alps. It is the only reason that I have seen beautiful Peruvian children and their mothers in their home land, found Cusco, become familiar with the Inca and the wealth of knowledge that their culture amassed. Flying is the reason that I have friends in all parts of Washington and Oregon. It is the reason that I have discovered the back roads of the Olympic Forest and the God-given vistas found only in the Olympic Mountains. The list of places I’ve been too, and things I’ve seen, seems endless: High Rock and the Pulpit in Pennsylvania, the dunes in Michigan, Albuquerque, Monterey, all can be added to the list for one reason—because I fly.

If Dr. Seuss would permit my awkward attempt at his special art form:

I’ve seen Kooseygoosey flowers

completely in bloom.

I’ve driven the Ziggetty highway

through mountains that loom.

And, I’ve met the Higgedies

the most wonderful people

who hold you and teach you

and share all their zeeple.

I’ve visited karmistical places

and heard harmonious bands

and held beautimous beauties

in the palms of my hands.

And in the town of the Mirkles

I was given a lift.

They called it a Birkle

but it’s really a gift.

It’s no more than words

this Birkle they gave.

Advice to the wise

To rise from the grave.

Go out! Find your life’s passion!

Use it to create in some kind of fashion.

Use it to fire that spark in your heart

that’s sitting there waiting for some kind of start.

Use it to freshen your viewpoint on life.

Cast off your garbage, like having a knife

that cuts away old, that frees you from strife.

Whatever your passion

whatever your tool

just use it real soon ‘fore your too old to drool.

Use it to soar. Use it to fly.

Use it for something that makes us go “Sigh.”

However you do it, just make sure you do.

Go on now! Get out! Go give it a try!

Yes, Doctor Seuss had it right. Find what you have. Use it often, and use it wisely.

Fly high. Fly safe.