behind the moon; beyond the rain

The Wizard of Oz has always been one of my favorite movies. The adventure, the music, the contrast of blank & white with Technicolor! I love Dorothy. She's a classic beauty; delicate, feminine, spunky, dauntless and heroic. I always wanted to be Dorothy, "the small and meek" fighting the Wicked Witch of the West or skipping through the forest arm in arm with the Scarecrow, the Tin Man and the Cowardly Lion. The part I love the most, though, is the relationship formed between the four (and a half counting Toto) main characters.

I love the way they take care of each other without being wholly dependent on each other. I love the way they care about each other and have such a great time together. They are stronger and better able to face the challenges and dangers of their adventure because they are together. They each have their own personalities including strengths and weaknesses but they complement each other in such a way that makes them perfect companions.

As I was watching the movie last night I noticed something that I had never considered before. Dorothy is not some gorgeous, perfectly behaved child. She's pretty and intelligent, but she's kind of gawky and her aunt tells her to find a place where she won't get into trouble (which she doesn't manage to do). Likewise, the Scarecrow, the Tin Man, and the Lion are all basically misfits, unable to fulfill their intended purposes when they first meet Dorothy. The Scarecrow can't scare the crows and lacks "a brain", the Tin Man can't chop wood because he's rusted solid and lacks "a heart", and the Lion is unable to be king of the forest because he lacks courage. They are all a little scruffy and rough around the edges, but as they become friends, join forces, and pursue their quest to fill their deficiencies, they each find within themselves what they believed they lacked.

I kind of see in myself and certain members of my current group of friends the characters in The Wizard of Oz. We are scruffy and incomplete, insecure about our believed deficiencies, but we find companionship and security in each others' friendship. We are misfits, but we fit together in a way we've never quite fit with others. I feel comfortable and more confident when I'm with them. They seem to enjoy my particular talent for being accepting and nurturing. We have fun and, though our "wicked witches" are more subtle and vague, the foe we fight is so similar that it has a way of pulling us together. We understand each other and feel a kinship that is simply inexplicable. It's strange, but this perspective helps me to understand part of my purpose in this moment.

I'm so grateful for dear friends :)