Dorothy

If I am Dorothy, then this place is Oz and you, you my friend, you are Glinda the Good Witch.

 

Dorothy wanted more. She wanted to get away, to spread her wings and fly. She longed for adventure, longed for people who understood her, loved her, surrounded her. She wanted to live in color, not black and white. She wanted, wanted, wanted. Always looking ahead, never looking around. So she packed up her basket, pulled the important things close to her, and she ran.

 

Except Toto died.

 

And Uncle Henry vanished into the night, with no trace left behind.

 

Aunt Em was left to grieve, alone and trapped in a crystal ball.

 

Dorothy clasped her basket tighter and kept running.

 

She ran straight to Oz, found safe haven, and curled herself into a ball to sleep her tears away. Glinda appeared, with open arms and support. Glinda taught Dorothy -- taught her to be strong, to stand up, to look around and not always ahead. Glinda reminded Dorothy that she was in charge, that she could direct her own future, that she had the strength in her to change the world around her. Glinda taught Dorothy how to be open, to be honest, to talk to the Tin Man and to stand up to the invisible Wicked Witches that flitted around in her mind. Glinda gave Dorothy the strength to discover what it was that mattered most to Dorothy.

 

And Dorothy realized that she was living in color the whole time. Dorothy realized that the Cowardly Lion inside of her was never truly Cowardly -- he was brave, sought out new adventures, and held tight to the things that mattered. Dorothy met her Scarecrow, and she realized that Scarecrow meant more to her than any of the glitter and glory that Oz could offer her.
 

She realized that Kansas was her home, the farm was where she belonged, and Aunt Em needed her support. The soil and the trees of Kansas called to her, in a way that only Witches can understand.

 

And Glinda nodded.

 

So Dorothy clicked her heels, begging for an answer. The Scarecrow remained silent, and Aunt Em refused an opinion. Only the Tin Man spoke -- with words of love and longing that Dorothy had never known. She fought the Tin Man, believed the Cowardly Lion was too afraid. She fought, refused to take off her shoes, and listened to the Wicked Witches.

 

And then she grew. She listened to the words that Glinda said, she learned that she was valuable, that the Tin Man was right, and that the Cowardly Lion was the bravest of them all. She learned that sometimes, Kansas is what waits over the rainbow. 

 

She thanked Glinda for all the lessons learned along the way. 

 

And then Dorothy left Oz behind and returned to Kansas.