Blog 2885 – 09.23.2023
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – Chapter 6
In today’s adventure there are three great obstacles along the Yellow Brick Road that Dorothy and her companions must negotiate. The first is a deep gorge across the road. The Cowardly Lion is able to leap across it with his friends one at a time on his back. The Scarecrow first, followed by Dorothy holding Toto in one hand and on to his mane with the other, and lastly the Tin Woodsman holding his axe.
The next obstacle is a wide stream across the road. The Tin man cuts down small trees that they construct into a raft with wood pins holding it together to ford the stream. The Tin Man and the Scarecrow position themselves with long poles fore and aft to push the raft across the stream. In the middle of the stream the current takes the raft leaving the Scarecrow atop his pole that is stuck in the mud. Disparaging he remarks to himself that he is worse off than when Dorothy found him stuck on a pole in a cornfield.
The Cowardly Lion tells Dorothy and the Tin Man that he will swim to shore and says to hold on to his tail tightly. On shore they wonder how they are ever going to rescue the Tin Man when a large stork happens along and is able to lift the Scarecrow off the pole and fly him safely to shore where his friends rejoice to have him back.
The last of the three great obstacles is a large field of poppy flowers that crosses the road. The breathing of the sweet smell from the poppy flowers puts Dorothy and Toto into a deep sleep. Before the Lion passes out the Scarecrow and Tin Man who are unaffected by the poppies warn him to run fast out of the poppies because he is too heavy for them to carry. Dorothy and Toto are not too heavy so they are able carry them to safety.
In life like Dorothy and company we face obstacles that would threaten to stop us in our tracks. I am reminded of the words of one of my lovely and loving wife Linda’s favorite songs: “There ain’t no mountain high enough, and there ain’t no river wide enough, to keep me from getting to you.”
When Frank L. Baum wrote the Oz stories there were many in the world who had allowed the poppy flowers to lull them to sleep and stop them in their tracks. Every generation is tempted to allow drugs or addiction to put them to sleep so they can avoid the pain that is a part of life. Intoxicating red poppy fields or strawberries fields forever may seem to promise sweet peace and release but they are only prisons of our own making to keep us from realizing our potential and achieving the goals we set out to accomplish.
There is rejoicing on the other side of every obstacle that life throws at us. Choosing to “suffer the slings and arrows of misguided fortune” and refusing the easy way out builds character, patience, and persistence. Keep on keeping on, Pilgrims.
Your friend and fellow traveler,
David White
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1bPq7__Oxk8JfUe0wH7TpN43x8KEorUib/view?usp=drivesdk
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz – Chapter 6
Strawberry Fields Forever
theencouragingword 