We're off to see the wizard

​My daughter and I usually watch something on Netflix when we get together but recently we did something a little different. The Wizard of Oz was on television, the old version with Judy Garland. We had loved it in the past, but would it still resonate? It did. It was magical. I ended up singing at the top of my lungs: “We’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz because because because because because...because of the wonderful things he does... the wonderful wizard of Oz!”
      I thought about the three people Dorothy met as she followed the yellow brick road. I loved the straw man who thought he didn’t have a brain. At one time I didn’t think I had much of a brain either. It was my former husband who convinced me otherwise. If it weren’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be writing this blog now. And then there was the lion who thought he didn’t have any courage. I can relate to that. I lacked confidence in myself and I found my courage only when I stepped out of my comfort zone and did things that scared me. The one who touched me the most was the tin man who believed he didn’t have a heart. I have no doubt that I have a heart, but I haven’t always allowed my heart to guide my life. It has taken me a lifetime to learn to trust my heart and not just my head.
      All of those characters were looking to some outside power, the Wizard, to give them what they thought they lacked. The wizard, as it turned out, was a fraud. Nevertheless, he did convince them that they already had the qualities for which they so yearned. Is this not true for all of us, if we stop to think about it? And Dorothy, all she wanted was to find her way back home to Kansas. Isn’t that what we all want, to come home to ourselves, our true authentic selves? We may take a very circuitous route to get there, but what could be more important than learning to love and accept who we truly are?
       All of us would like to have a wizard in our lives who would magically make our troubles go away. Well, in a way we do have one, but the wizard is within us. “Oh yeah, right!” You might say: “Well, how come I can’t find this wise guy?” I can understand if you are skeptical, because I was too and sometimes still am. Why can’t this inner wise being take away my arthritic pain? What I am learning so far is that I can’t make the pain go away, but I can learn to accept it so that it doesn’t dominate my life. I admit that I still get grouchy and grumbly at times, but I accept that too.
    The good news is that I can even experience joy and peace along with the pain. The reason this is possible is that these are natural divine qualities in us that are not dependent on outside events. Do you sometimes feel joy for no reason? If people ask you why you’re feeling so happy, you may try to come up with an external cause, but really it is just something that bubbles up within you.
        But how do we keep these good feelings from fading away? Well, we can’t hang on to feelings from the past, but I try to remember each day to set an intention that I will allow joy and peace to flow through me. But sometimes the doubts creep in anyway, so I just try to remain very conscious of what I feel or think. In recent months I have started a practice of pouring out my concerns to God through my writing each day. This practice helps me to see my life through the lens of gratitude instead of staying stuck in my negativity.
      At first I wondered if I was making this all up, but now I realize that our imaginations are among the most potent ways we have of connecting to Mystery. You may think I’m living in a dream world but if that be so, I much prefer it to living in the so-called real world—believing the illusion of “ain’t it awful?” Along with Dorothy and her friends, I will continue to “follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow brick road,” sometimes dancing, but more often wobbling my way along my path with as much peace and joy as I can muster. When I lose courage and it feels like I may stumble and fall, always Spirit is there to pick me up as I continue on my journey. What an adventure life is!My daughter and I usually watch something on Netflix when we get together but recently we did something a little different. The Wizard of Oz was on television, the old version with Judy Garland. We had loved it in the past, but would it still resonate? It did. It was magical. I ended up singing at the top of my lungs: “We’re off to see the wizard, the wonderful wizard of Oz because because because because because...because of the wonderful things he does... the wonderful wizard of Oz!”
I thought about the three people Dorothy met as she followed the yellow brick road. I loved the straw man who thought he didn’t have a brain. At one time I didn’t think I had much of a brain either. It was my former husband who convinced me otherwise. If it weren’t for him, I probably wouldn’t be writing this blog now. And then there was the lion who thought he didn’t have any courage. I can relate to that. I lacked confidence in myself and I found my courage only when I stepped out of my comfort zone and did things that scared me. The one who touched me the most was the tin man who believed he didn’t have a heart. I have no doubt that I have a heart, but I haven’t always allowed my heart to guide my life. It has taken me a lifetime to learn to trust my heart and not just my head.
      All of those characters were looking to some outside power, the Wizard, to give them what they thought they lacked. The wizard, as it turned out, was a fraud. Nevertheless, he did convince them that they already had the qualities for which they so yearned. Is this not true for all of us, if we stop to think about it? And Dorothy, all she wanted was to find her way back home to Kansas. Isn’t that what we all want, to come home to ourselves, our true authentic selves? We may take a very circuitous route to get there, but what could be more important than learning to love and accept who we truly are?
       All of us would like to have a wizard in our lives who would magically make our troubles go away. Well, in a way we do have one, but the wizard is within us. “Oh yeah, right!” You might say: “Well, how come I can’t find this wise guy?” I can understand if you are skeptical, because I was too and sometimes still am. Why can’t this inner wise being take away my arthritic pain? What I am learning so far is that I can’t make the pain go away, but I can learn to accept it so that it doesn’t dominate my life. I admit that I still get grouchy and grumbly at times, but I accept that too.
    The good news is that I can even experience joy and peace along with the pain. The reason this is possible is that these are natural divine qualities in us that are not dependent on outside events. Do you sometimes feel joy for no reason? If people ask you why you’re feeling so happy, you may try to come up with an external cause, but really it is just something that bubbles up within you.
        But how do we keep these good feelings from fading away? Well, we can’t hang on to feelings from the past, but I try to remember each day to set an intention that I will allow joy and peace to flow through me. But sometimes the doubts creep in anyway, so I just try to remain very conscious of what I feel or think. In recent months I have started a practice of pouring out my concerns to God through my writing each day. This practice helps me to see my life through the lens of gratitude instead of staying stuck in my negativity.
      At first I wondered if I was making this all up, but now I realize that our imaginations are among the most potent ways we have of connecting to Mystery. You may think I’m living in a dream world but if that be so, I much prefer it to living in the so-called real world—believing the illusion of “ain’t it awful?” Along with Dorothy and her friends, I will continue to “follow, follow, follow, follow, follow the yellow brick road,” sometimes dancing, but more often wobbling my way along my path with as much peace and joy as I can muster. When I lose courage and it feels like I may stumble and fall, always Spirit is there to pick me up as I continue on my journey. What an adventure life is!