Making a Seuss of life

BY NICK CHURCHOUSE

I went to a Dr Seuss exhibition last night.

Not being flush enough to shell out a couple of grand for one of the fine Doctor's works, I'm making a pre-New Year's resolution to do things a little more ridiculously. In his honour.

To chase the silly sausage serenity of Theodor Geisel's rendered fantasies, there really needs to be a little more madness, rambunction and callous disregard for day-to-day convention in this backward country of ours.

I mean when you look at us, what do you have...?

An upside-down double island re-mon-public-archy named by a Dutchman who buggered off and left us for the Brits who merged with the fractious natives to create a mishmash of snotty Anglo-Saxons, staunch Indigenites, invading kangaroos, Eurofugees and Asiammigrants.

I think we'd make a marvellous addition to the Seuss genre - Muddle muddle in a Pacific puddle.

All in all we can look at the kids - and there were a lot of kids at this art gallery - and see the pure nonchalance and unencumbered view of the world that we'd all like.

It was intriguing to see me looking at a $3900 Seuss painting, thinking of it like it might be an asset.

Maybe it would be, but I'll hazard a guess the 11-year-old next to me was thinking something different.

Getting to the real point, it seems that at every turn, there's someone, in fact plenty of someones, who take themselves all too seriously.

Seriousness draws a curtain on fun, slaps a collar on mischief, drops a wet blanket on laughter.

And too often we are encouraged to think earnestly about things. I'm chronic at it.

A master-chief of strategic thinking, I pretty much run the sensible meter over everything. And yet, I revel in Dr Seuss' melodic malarkey. It must be a cathartic release.

I did my OE with a copy of Red Fish Blue Fish stuffed in my backpack. It's as good at crossing language barriers as any phrasebook.

Instead of a speech at my sister's 21st I read Oh The Places You'll Go. She went to Auckland and is now off to Palmy next year. Still it was cool at the time.

I throw variations of Green Eggs and Ham into conversations to confuse people. Well, it's really to amuse myself but it does befuddle slightly.

e.g. "I will get you a lager beer, would you like it here or there?" (This always confuses Lane.)

e.g.2 "Oh Southern Belle do the dishes, why will you not heed my wishes?" (When I feel like a domestic scuffle.)

At the essence of Dr Seuss' lyrics are morals and messages, but always delivered with a quirky twist. Essentially I'd like to deliver every day to the world with a quirky twist. It's just that it might come across the wrong way. But ...

I'm going to bring the New Year in

With a maniac craniac silly grin

They'll send me off to see Dr Chin

The proctor doctor in the looney bin

"Riddle riddle, New Year's diddle

You can't quiet a chuckling fiddle"

Give me your best Dr Seuss rhyme about how you're feeling in the end of year Christmas madness. Go on ... productivity is near zero anyway, isn't it?

- © Fairfax NZ News