There's No Place Like Home. (2nd Installment)
Dorothy Meets the Scarecrow...
There are moments during Dorothy’s journey where she finds herself walking or skipping along the wide winding road laden with bright yellow bricks of promise without issues. Her journey is a peaceful one with Toto (her little dog), scampering at her feet. And yet, just as the moment where comfort outweighs her fear, she comes upon a fork in the road. Undecided on which way to go she talks to herself out loud, and that's when she's startled by a talking scarecrow in a field of corn. The Scarecrow tries to direct her the best way he knows how, but in the end comes off as confused. However, Dorothy listens to his story, and shows empathy for him by bending the nail down on which he is hung and frees him from his paltry existence. The Scarecrow asks if he can join her on her journey to see the Wizard, his hopes pinned on the idea that the wizard might give him some brains. It’s the perfect situation which allows her to express her compassion for something unlike herself. She tells him that she has a wicked witch after her and shows concern for his safety but when he tells her he’s determined to go with her, she agrees to his joining her and Toto’s journey to Emerald City.
I believe miracles show up in all different ways. Now, I’m not saying on your journey down your ‘yellow brick road’ you’ll come across a talking scarecrow that only wants a brain, I believe in a lot of things deemed miracles, but that ain’t one of them. What I am saying is, you may come across someone during your life's journey that may need your help, or need your attention, or someone who may not be as fortunate as you. It's wise for you to remember, it isn’t the work of your hands that makes you memorable, but how wide you open your heart.
Like the scarecrow, there will be people in our lives who feel dumb, they believe or have been told they aren’t worthy, or they’re stupid and have no business doing what they are doing in life. It’s a sad fact in which the words flung upon the young and innocent leave the deepest wounds. For all I know you could be reading this and blurt out, “Gretchen, Oh.My.God, I’m the scarecrow!”
But let’s make something clear, something we should all be aware of … people come into our lives for a reason … PERIOD. Sometimes they are fleeting, sometimes they come in and stay for a short blip of time, and sometimes we meet people and they’re in our lives up until we take our last breath. It’s my belief that everyone’s brilliant and life affirming and intelligent with a special place in this universe. I know, I know, we’re all measured to a standard that for some is unobtainable, but let me say this, some people are book smart, while others are street wise, some may have mastered how to run a household, while others are better building things with their hands, but the fact of the matter is, we each have something to contribute to the betterment of this world. Each and every one of us possess this capability; it’s just that we’ve lost our confidence along the way. As a society, we’ve lost the ability to connect with the potential which resides deep within each and every one of us. We’ve been told not to be vulnerable, or show weakness, we’ve been told we shouldn’t be too confident, or come across arrogant. We’ve been “shoulded” on our entire lives!
It's time to STOP “Shoulding” on yourself and others. It’s vital when people come into our lives to remind them of how brilliant, loving, dynamic, joyous, and smart they truly are. It’s imperative that we keep reminding ourselves of how brilliant, loving, dynamic, joyous and smart we are too. Dorothy, never once agrees with the scarecrow! She heard his woes-me story, gave him her ear to listen , and then when he invited himself into her journey, she agreed to his company, wholeheartedly.
Every answer to every question we’ve ever had lies deep within us. Either we’ve never been told about our potential or or we keep forgetting about it because we are constantly bombarded with definitions and phrases that convince us or train us to believe we are limited, less than, or weak. When Dorothy asked the scarecrow questions he answered, when she couldn’t free him from the post he was nailed upon, he told her what to do. Maybe it’s the simple fact that we’ve never been taught how to stop and listen, or we merely forgot the mechanics of becoming still and knowing. Self confidence, inner peace, love, harmony, and personal strength can’t happen so long as we keep building soundproof walls that continue to isolate us in a self-induced prison of shame, guilt and blame.
Why do we look upon the less fortunate as “less than”? Who wouldn’t fall in love with a singing scarecrow without a brain? Why must we define others by what they don’t have or what they are lacking in their lives? When our actions speak louder than our words we will truly understand the dynamics of reaping what we sow. When we celebrate the strength in those around us, we are uplifted in our own lives. Dorothy’s heart was large, bigger than those whom she met, and yet never once did she make anyone feel inadequate.
You see, even though the scarecrow thought he didn’t have a brain, he sang about all the things he’d do if he had a brain. The scarecrow had his entire existence all “plotted” out if he ever “got himself some brains”. What he didn’t realize was he already possessed the abilities he sung about. He had within him the potential to do everything he wanted, if he’d let go of the idea that he wasn’t smart enough. Could it be that we too, have our own ideas of what we need or should be in order to be, successful, happy, healthy, loving, abundant, and joyous? We, like the scarecrow believe we don’t possess the potential to be greater than we are right now. Doubt aside, how often have we talked ourselves out of something because we believed we weren’t worthy enough, strong enough, intelligent enough? If we keep following the same patterns that got us to where we are, we’ll never embody our true potential.
It’s time to bend the nail that pins us to the post of our past beliefs and slide off the splintered beam that keeps us bound to our old ideas of who we used to be. Stand with those people who believe we possess the capability to be whatever our heart’s desire.
You and only you know what’s right for your life. You may start your journey heading one way on the, ‘yellow brick road’ and find it’s not the right path. That’s okay, because at least you’re starting to recognize what you want and what you don’t want. You’re beginning to live life consciously! Strengthen those legs you thought weren’t strong enough to carry you through, start believing that within you lies infinite possibilities in which you have an all access pass dangling from a lanyard for all to see. You are the believer that creates the beliefs in your life. You have the ability to change your mind and dance on the ‘yellow brick road’ of your journey.
It’s your life,and your opportunity to be anything you want to be. When you stop allowing others to define who you are and what they think you should be, you begin to embody your true potentiality. When you discover the limiting ideas, which have been seared across your brain are nothing more than a false belief you’ve unknowingly allowed to be planted there, you can begin to uproot them, weed them and replace them with the fruit producing positive ideas that strengthen who you are.
Dorothy never once believed what the scarecrow told her about his plight of being brainless. She heard him out, disclosed to him the struggles he may encounter if he went with her, and then let him decide for himself if he was going to join her or not. It’s time to have someone in your corner believing in you, telling you, you can do whatever you set your mind to; it won’t be the easiest thing you’ll ever do, but what’s gained if nothing is tried? You can climb back up on that rusty ol’ nail and hang from that splintered post, or you can tread along the ‘yellow brick road’ of your existence and see what happens. The choice is yours.
Thanks for hanging out and reading my ramblings.
***Stay tuned for the 3rd installment when Dorothy meets the Tin Man.
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