Just Follow The Yellow Brick Road

Well, hi there folks!

Happy Monday!

Happy new week!

Happy day after Easter!

Let’s dive right in to this week’s post.

It appears that the Winter chill decided to bear its ugly face to us once again toward the end of this week with brisk, bitter winds and chilly temperatures.

Couple that with news stories about darkness, violence, and shootings that literally appear to happen every single day…

…And you are left with a pretty depressing scene.

It can make it hard to see the warmth and positivity of the Springtime sunshine that we all seem to be craving.

And in these moments that our world has been experiencing, you might be asking yourself the question of:

“How does a person nicknamed Mr. Sunshine stay positive?”

Well, I would be lying to you if I said there weren’t moments of exhaustion, stress, and wanting to scream that I experience every now and then.

In times of the coldness, one of my favorite things to do in order to stay both warm and positive is to sit on the couch, curl up with a blanket, light a candle to bring scents of ocean water and sand to life, and put my favorite movie on in the background.

And if you don’t know what my favorite movie is by now…

…Well then, shame on you.

The title of this blog pretty much gives it away in case you need a little hint.

That’s right.

My favorite movie is of course The Wizard of Oz.

It has been my favorite for as long as I can remember. A classic that everyone should see at least once in their life.

It honestly never gets old no matter how many times I have seen it.

And that count has to be at least 1,000 times.

Or more.

No joke.

So, before I dive into some of the “deep, thoughtful” portions of this week’s post, let me share some fun facts about this movie/show production.

1. I was up for the part of the scarecrow my freshman year of high school and I was TERRIFIED going through the callback process. The day of callbacks was also the day of the wedding rehearsal for my cousin Rick (and his wife Pam) that I was playing at, so it a vivid memory that will always be in my mind. Needless to say, I did not get the part (I actually lost it to the guy who was my first crush…imagine that). I ended up being a singing crow in the production, which sounds dumb, but I literally had such a blast.
2. Even at age 33, The Wicked Witch of the West still scares me.
3. I got to be a production of this show again in my adult life at EPAC in December of 2017 and even got to reprise my role as a singing crow. It was like a full circle moment for me.
4. The opening music during the credits always fills me with such emotion and nostalgia from the very first note.
5. One of my favorite productions that I have ever witness of this show is The Fulton’s version that was done back in 2015.

Well, enough of the fun, random facts. It’s time to get down to the “deep, thoughtful” Mr. Sunshine words for this week’s topic.

When I watch this movie, especially at a time when the world seems so full of despair, I’m reminded of some very important life lessons that are even more prevalent in my adult life.

In fact, they are life lessons that every single one of us could take away after experiencing Dorothy and her friends travel down the yellow brick road.

Life Lesson #1:
-Be unique. And Embrace every moment of it.

Dorothy and her friends The Scarecrow, The Tin Man, and The Cowardly Lion all have faults within themselves that they learn about as they meet up and start their journey to The Emerald City. But they are able to embrace those faults and learn through each other’s uniqueness that not everyone is the same and that working together as a team and embracing the differences and faults with love will only strengthen the bond of friendship.

Life Lesson #2:
-Never give up.

Even though these four loyal friends are presented with multiple hardships from The Wicked Witch of the West–poppies, winged monkeys, trees that throw apples, large fireballs, and many other wickedly concoctions, they never give up and learn to persevere to the very end.

Life Lesson #3:
-Follow your dreams.

No matter where you are at in life, never give up on your dream and always remember to take a few moments to travel over the rainbow to follow your very own yellow brick road.

Life Lesson #4:
-Sometimes, you just need some help and support from your friends.

Nobody can make it in this world–especially with how harsh and dark it can be some days–without the help, support, and love of our friends. Don’t forget who those people are in your life and never feel ashamed to reach out and lean on them when needed.

Life Lesson #5:
-Don’t try to be something you’re not. Be yourself.

Literally, people. Just stop trying to fake it until you make it. If there is one thing that irritates me more than the word hate, it is seeing someone trying to be something they are not. Just be yourself. Please. Faking it and trying to be something he wasn’t didn’t work out too well for The Wizard himself and it won’t work for you. Mmmbyeee.

Life Lesson #6:
-There is no place like home.

This one is a given because it is basically the tag line of this movie. And it couldn’t be anymore true. Even though I have been living in my house for 5 years in Lancaster City, there is just nothing like going home for a night or weekend on the homestead. A home-cooked meal, some ice cream, TV show or movie watching, rummy card playing, or even just some conversation–there just aren’t moments that beat these. And Dorothy realized this sentimental reality just at the right time, but I’ve been lucky enough to learn it quite early in life and appreciate it for every single moment of joy and happiness it brings me.

Well, folks there you have it.

My favorite movie and the life lessons that it has and continues to remind me of every single time I sit down to watch.

It brings me warmth, joy, and a sense of positivity in a world that likes to and shatter our warmth with coldness on the daily.

It’s time for us all to step back, travel over the rainbow, and find the courage to follow our yellow brick road.

Sprinkle sunshine always

JP!