I’ve loved books and stories since my dad read “The Monster at the End of this Book” to me over and over and over again when I was a young girl. The “monster” was Grover from Sesame Street. Grover begged us not to turn the pages of the book because he’d read the title—and he knew there was a monster ahead. And that is scary! And, yet, despite his pleas and tricks to get us to stop reading, we’d continue turning the pages until I’d laugh out loud each time my dad feigned surprise when we discovered, once again, that it was just lovable, furry Grover. Not scary.
Grover’s story still has a lot to teach me. I often try to avoid yucky things, hoping they’ll just disappear. Many in my creative writing class have heard me say that I like to live in the world of lollipops and butterflies. When class discussions tend toward tragedy, anger, clashes with friends, or prejudices, I can feel the fear of conflict and unpleasantness rise up within and want to bend the discussion toward puppies, unicorns, and rainbows. I know! Not helpful. Not realistic. So, as unpleasant or scary as it may be, we face problems and conflicts head-on. Together we discuss and write about the not-so-pleasant aspects of life, hoping to figure out what’s going on inside our heads and hearts, and maybe finding that happy ending.
Yes, there are monsters — real and imaginary. But we don’t have to face them alone. If we carry on with the help of a friend or a teacher (or a daddy), then we discover that we can face the monsters and keep turning the pages. I urge you, students, to keep turning the pages. That might mean writing poetry or journaling to discover what’s in your heart. It might mean talking to someone about the ‘monsters’ in your life. It might mean editing out the people in your life who aren’t positive influences. Find someone to help you along the way if there seems to be a brick wall keeping you from doing so. You’ll learn that the places you’ve been hiding and the means by which you’ve been trying to escape are darker and scarier than the wonderful life waiting for you at the end of the book. It may be painful. Or scary. But you are not alone. The only way to beat the monsters is to keep turning the pages.
