LESSIONS FROM DR SUESS. BY V. JOLENE MILLER
READING ON THE RUN Binge reading on the run because everything else can wait. ABOUT THE COLUMNIST
In Alaska, I’m a behavioral health instructor by day and a Ph.D. student by night. When I’m not teaching, I have my nose in a textbook or a scholarly article. These days, my writing is nonfiction and my puppy, Omar, is lucky if I can spare ten minutes to play fetch. I still carry a book in my purse because I hope to get a few minutes to read. Fifteen minutes before dawn, in between assignments, or right before falling into bed. Reading is my resting place.
I love Dr. Seuss’s works. His enjoyable mix of poetry, short stories, and fantasy worlds are a delight. There’s the fact that he makes up words - an activity that I believe all writers are entitled to participate in. Plus, his writing alluded to what I can only imagine as his somewhat quirky style. Recently, while mowing the lawn, I reflected on the Dr. Seuss classic, Green Eggs, and Ham. Although I’m not a fan of eggs (of any color) or ham, I thought about how Sam, after being persuaded to try this food, was so enamored with the delicacies that he was agreeable to eating them anywhere, everywhere, and with almost anyone. In a house with a mouse. In the rain, on a train. In a boat, with a goat. You get the idea. It occurred to me that books and book enthusiasts are quite similar. Consider the last few months and your reading selections. Where did you go? Which books did you read? Did you notice other readers? How frequently did you crane your neck just so in hopes that you’d catch a glimpse of the title they carried? Perhaps, you sent your friend or loved one on a random errand that required them to walk past that person carrying a book to bring back that coveted literary information: author, title, the picture on the cover? During the last several weeks, I… Read a counseling book on a plane.
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