I have been feeling slightly overwhelmed as I have been wanting
to do something grandiose before I go
into the hospital; having to accept that I can’t ........really sucks! Most days I want to just hop in my car and
drive off into the sunset and ……nevermind.
Once before I blogged about bucket lists and how unfair the idea of
one can be. It's very painful for a terminal patient, especially when there is no
reality in fulfilling one. So I had decided to create list of things that I always
say I want to do but never seem to make the time for …… During the Christmas
Holidays I was at Costco and came across “The Best of Warner Bros. 20 Film
Collection of Musicals”. I could not resist buying it. I have
always loved old movies and musicals; the thoughts of me, my Blankie, Cheddar
Smart Pop, Diet Coke and Judy Garland excited me. I picked a weekend and stayed
in bed and watched all 20 movies. I did
it! 1 item off the list…
I will confess that I did not enjoy all of them like I
thought I would but, I also found myself watching a few of them a couple of
times. Now, like everyone else I have seen The Wizard of Oz a zillion times. As
a child I remember the excitement that came with knowing that it would air on
TV; for 2 hours I could be transported into a true childhood fantasy. It is one
of my favourite movies as a child, (second to Willy Wonka) and now it has
become one of my favourite movies as an adult. I watched it again last
night. As it started to play I was
thinking about my day and how much I enjoyed recently having lunch with a
wonderful friend; and for some reason my thoughts of friendship and my current
journey influenced my viewing of this film from a completely different
perspective.
Dorothy took a journey along a winding yellow brick road.
Along that journey she made friends with characters that were also on a quest
to find something they felt missing from their own lives. They grew to love one
another and became the support system that each of them needed to find themselves.
The journey to find self -actualization
and self- love is one we all take. Each of us takes a journey through life of
which we all tend to face obstacles at different times. We start off much like Dorothy in that we
question where we come from and often wonder if we belong. We long for answers and are compelled to
discover the true meaning of happiness and contentment. The constant search for
the answers leads us to believe that an OZ can exist; believing that once we
arrive will we know the answers.
Along the way we pick up strangers that eventually become
our friends; our much need support system. They love us and encourage us to
find and reach our goals; whatever they might be. Sometimes along the way we do
meet “witches” that try to destroy us, but in the end our true friends help us
overcome and ultimately win the battle. We all have a Scare Crow that will take
a ball of fire to the hay chest for us; and protect us from danger (Patsy).
We search and search hoping that with each turn in the road
the answer will be waiting there and it never is. So we keep moving; along the
way we find yet another companion that will enrich our life, and make the road
trip less painful or frightening.
We dance with joy and laughter and celebrate the feats along
the way, until yet another battle is eminent. Sometimes we battle knowing that the
fights is not our own, but that of the person you travel with. Together you
fight, win and move on. You are never the same person you were before the war
but stronger and wiser you become; somehow…..
In the end Dorothy and her friends arrived at their
destination! Ah ha The Grand Wizard, the answers and all the voids to be
filled. Only to discover that there is no real OZ.
Brains – we have the knowledge and intelligence to handle
any situation we face. Heart- oh how I love this one, self-love and love for
others. Courage- one of the greatest and most powerful to have, it takes
courage to face life and its crazy patterns of unpredictable circumstances.
Home- it was where Dorothy longed to be from the moment she left. Home to me is
representative of where we are inside. It is our comfort zone, it is who we
are. No matter where you are, you are always home. Whatever journey you go on,
no matter where you run to; it follows you.
Dorothy discovered that her friends were familiar, her home
was where she needed to be, the evil that tried to destroy her could be fought
and beat, that sometimes her enemies were really on her side, and that she didn’t
really need to find herself as she was there all along. The journey in all fact
started the day they discovered it was in them all along. That is when the
journey of life is most exciting. Once you are armed with the power of knowing
that you have the tools/weapons, a strong sense of yourself, a support system
made up of family and friends you can truly walk along any path in life that
you choose.
My journey is similar to hers in that I find myself on a
path which leads to an unknown. I too
have a great support system to help me reach my end goal. I have family, a real
foundation. I have the courage, the strength and the determination to win my
own battle with the “witch”.
I have heart which is my favourite; I love, am
loved and love being loved….
Since I am so clever…. (ha ha ha ) I will leave you with a
new thought… Click your heals 3 times and say
“There is no place like HOPE”…
~Christine~
No comments:
Post a Comment