Grasshopper on the Road by Arnold Lobel has been my son’s favorite book for years now. I’m thankful for this because I also like to read it again and again.
It even inspired the name of this website.
MAKE MINE MORNING
One morning, Grasshopper decides to set out on an open-ended journey, just to see what he sees.
Along the way, he meets all kinds of rigid insect characters, including a group of beetles holding signs. They are the We Love Morning Club, and their slogans include MORNING IS BEST and MAKE MINE MORNING.
Grasshopper agrees he loves morning, so they heartily welcome him and give him a sign: MORNING IS TOPS.
“When does the clover sparkle with dew?” asked a beetle.
“In the morning!” cried all the other beetles.
“When is the sunshine yellow and new?” asked the beetle.
“In the morning!” cried all the other beetles.
They turned somersaults and stood on their heads.
They danced and sang.
“M-O-R-N-I-N-G spells morning!”
From Grasshopper on the Road by Arnold Lobel
Yeah, morning! But when Grasshopper mentions he likes afternoon too, the beetles get pretty testy. And when he confesses to liking night as well, they kick him right out of their club.
Oh well. Grasshopper goes on down the road to the next adventure.
Morning is tops (but no pressure)
Why do I love this story? Faced with the silly dogmatism of those beetles, Grasshopper stays true to himself. He doesn’t bow to the pressure to be only one thing in order to belong to the club. Sure, he likes morning. But he knows himself. He also likes afternoon. And “night is very nice” too. He asserts himself politely and moves on down the road.
So then why is the name of this website Make Mine Morning? Why am I celebrating those inflexible beetles?
In a way, I admire their certainty. I have a really hard time making decisions, but sometimes you just have to commit. You have to put your foot down and pick a domain name already.
And if I had to pick only one temporally based club to join, it would be the We Love Morning Club.
Because morning is tops!
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