As I have talked about in the last two articles, I'm a big Dr. Seuss fan. The "good doctor" has taught me many things about life-and three books serve as a constant reminder to me about life's lessons as they hang next to my three diplomas. The last book of the series that made the frame was Horton Hears a Who -- albeit it was a difficult choice to narrow it to three! You might ask why Horton? The caption underneath it is just one of the lessons of the book, but it says, "Listen to your intuition."
You might remember the book? On the 15th of May, in the jungle of Nool, Horton the Elephant, heard a small noise. "That's funny," thought Horton. "There's no one around." He figured it must be someone on top of a small speck of dust. Horton placed the dust speck on a clover only to later learn that it was the community of "Who-ville" through a conversation with the Mayor. Horton promises to keep "Who-ville" safe.
The other jungle animals tell Horton he is crazy. At one point, the cynical animals are going to boil the dust speck and cage Horton. "Boil it?..." gasped Horton! "Oh, that you can't do! It's all full of persons! They'll prove it to you!"
Horton goes on to beg the mayor to rally the citizens and make them heard. All the citizens were yelling. The smallest citizen, Jo-Jo, wasn't helping to be heard--he didn't think his little voice could make a difference. After much encouragement, he let out a "Yopp!"
"That one small, extra Yopp put it over! Finally, at last! From that speck on that clover, their voices were heard!
The jungle animals heard Jo-Jo (the smallest of all) and vowed to protect "Who-ville" with Horton.
I believe there are four main lessons from the book. First, we all need to listen to our intuition. Although Horton couldn't see the Whos, he knew they were there. Second, Horton never wavered on his promise to save "Who-ville." Promises are important to keep. Third, he reminds us that no matter how small a person is, they are still important, and perhaps the most important of all. Lastly, the citizens of "Who-ville" remind us that no matter what, one thing we must do is help oneself.
Those life's lessons are so important for COS Hanford. The citizens of Hanford passed Measure C which provided the smallest of all (future generations) a permanent COS Hanford Center. Again, thank you Hanford.....and Horton!
(p.s. Although not a National Holiday, March 2 is Theodore Seuss Geisel's birthday. Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! Thank you for helping many generations not only learn to read, but also helping us learn life's lessons!)
