LESSONS FROM OZ: Feet are made for walking
"And remember, never let those ruby slippers off your feet for a moment or you will be at the mercy of the Wicked Witch of the West."
Glinda, the Good Witch of the North
Have you ever thought about the power you have in your feet?
Our feet are engineered to move us in new directions - to act. Action is a powerful tool we can use to solve our own problems. Action can take us away from adversity and toward our dreams. Action is integral to physical, mental and spiritual health.
It's an American childhood tradition to watch Judy Garland's classic performance as Dorothy Gale in the 1939 movie, The Wizard of Oz. The story begins with action as Dorothy and her dog Toto, run through the Kansas farmlands to escape the evil Miss Gulch and later, race to escape a tornado. Unable to escape the storm, Dorothy and Toto are swept into the maelstrom and dropped into the Land of OZ. When she wonders aloud what direction she should go to find her way back to Kansas, it is the Scarecrow who advises Dorothy that the path to the left is the good, but the one to the right is equally fine. It doesn't matter what direction she moves, It's the process of moving that's important.
It is Dorothy's feet that lead her toward companions of integrity: The Cowardly Lion (Courage/Spirit).), The Scarecrow (Wisdom/Intellect) and Tin Woodsman (Love/Compassion). Their journey together down the Yellow Brick Road ultimately leads them, one step at a time, to their destinies. During the process, a life lesson Dorothy learns that it is the feet she has encased in ruby slippers themselves, that contain the power she needs to reach her dream. Dorothy wants to find home and clicking the heels of those ruby shoes gets her there - but it is her feet that perform the action.
Don't know where you are today? Who you are today? Make a change. One small step forward, backward or to the side adjusts the hard reality of where you are at this moment. Each small step can start a chain reaction that reaches a dream. Ultimately the direction in which you step doesn't matter. All steps are positive actions towards dreams.
How do you know what will happen? You don't, and no one else does, either, But oh, the adventures you will miss if you do not try! Action is it's own victory. Be confident, like Dorothy, that your own actions and your personal companions of integrity - Lions for (Courage/Spirit), Scarecrows for (Wisdom/Intellect) and Tin Woodsmen for (Love/Compassion) - will help you direct your feet in the way they should go.