OZ

when i was a little girl, i used to get to spend lots of time by myself at my grandparents house in dallas. since i was the first grandchild, the ONLY granddaughter, and 8 years old that the next grandchild, i was able to forge a VERY special bond with my Mimi and Pop. i had them all to myself. those were some of my favorite times in my life.

during the summers, we would go to their country club and i would swim in the olympic size pool for hours on end. my grandfather used to squirt water at me using only his hand ... with PRECISE ACCURACY. i still try to perfect that trick when i am in the bathtub. and at night, after being out in the sun all day, we would just relax around the house. Wheel of Fortune would be on. Mimi would be in the kitchen, making dinner. and there was a line where the linoleum didn't reach all the way out of the kitchen, and that was the Magic line you weren't supposed to cross while she was in there. even as i got older, none of us grandchildren would cross that line when she was in there. and my grandfather would be sitting on the other side of the counter "supervising". and by "supervising" i mean trying to trade his blood for scotch... and making comments about whatever we were talking about. it was perfect.

after dinner, we would play cards or watch a little bit of TV. this was back when you had about 25 channels and we watched whatever was on. and somehow, as if by Magic, The Wizard Of Oz would come on when i was visiting. now, seriously, what are the odds of that PARTICULAR movie coming on about 75% of the time i was at their house? whether it was summer, or winter, or a random weekend in the spring? seriously. it WAS magic. and i would lay on the floor between Mimi and Pop, sitting in their respective chairs, and we would watch the Wizard.

even now, when i see it come on TV i call my Mimi. there is a very special thing about the Wizard.
it wasn't until today, i realized the amazing lessons that can be learned from movie. and wisdom too.

i don't exactly remember how it got started, but i have a friend who calls me her Scarecrow. and she is going through a rough time right now.... so me, being one of those people who looks for weird stuff on line to make a point, i looked up the script for the Wizard of Oz. (yeah i know, i am a dork) this is what found me.

remember when Dorothy heads off to Oz? and she comes to a fork in the road? and finds the Scarecrow, and he tells her he will help her if she gets him off the pole he's stuck to. since his legs are a little wobbly, he falls and some of his straw comes out. this is what happens next:

SCARECROW
Whhhooops! Ha-ha -- there goes some of me again!

DOROTHY
Oh -- does it hurt you?

SCARECROW
Oh, no -- I just keep picking it up and putting it back in again.


and it's funny how different things affect you at weird times in your life. never before has this seemed so profound to me.

sometimes we get the stuffing knocked out of us. we can either lay on the ground like a baggy scarecrow, or we can put all the pieces back and make a better, different scarecrow.



thank you Mimi and Pop for that magic.