The Wizard of Oz has been my favorite movie for as long as I can remember. As a kid, the idea of being transported to a magical land held so much appeal and somehow the beauty of Oz seemed almost surreal with colors so bright and shimmery yet still believable. Every year I looked forward to watching it...yes, my birth occurred long before the birth of video tapes, DVDs or DVRs. If you missed it, you waited another year for it to be rebroadcast! But, I digress....
Now as an adult, the movie holds a completely different fascination for me. I still love the colors even though they seem slightly less believable than they did before. I enjoy the characters and how they interact with one another but it's the true message that intrigues me now. Dorothy finds herself in a foreign land with strange occupants but even though it's a thousand times more beautiful than the black and white world she came from, all she wants to do is go home. So when a woman proclaiming herself to be a "good witch" arrives on the scene via a giant iridescent floating bubble and offers Dorothy a way home if she's willing to follow the yellow brick road, she eagerly places her feet on the painted path and starts walking...without question or hesitation. Once the journey begins, she never wavers. She doesn't look for a shortcut, she doesn't try a different route. She was told to follow the yellow brick road where a solution would be waiting for her at the end and that's exactly what she does. She graciously allows several others to accompany her on the long journey without judgement of their personal predicaments. She fearlessly fights the Wicked Witch of the West and valiantly defends her new friends and loyal dog against flying monkeys and palace guards. With her first step on the painted bricks, she begins a journey of unquestioning faith. The yellow path takes her into the unknown where she encounters many obstacles yet she never doubts the outcome. She doesn't stop to feel sorry for herself nor think of turning back. She trudges on with no idea of what may lie before her. Even when the Wizard himself gives her attitude, she straightens her back and refuses to take any crap from this gigantic green head breathing fire at her. Yet with all she overcame, she doesn't seem bitter or jaded. She's just determined--quiet resolve and single-minded focus. She simply isn't going to take no for an answer. And then to wrap it all up, the "good witch" re-appears and tells her she's always had the answer but just wasn't ready to hear it.
And isn't that always the way life plays out? When we look back to examine and analyze our life, don't we usually see the answer was right in front of us all along, we just weren't ready to admit it? So why don't we all have the same unquestioning faith in our journey as Dorothy had? Why do we constantly question our decisions and spend so much time searching for the answer that already lies directly before us?
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