Wizard of Oz

Fall is settling in, tornados are popping up; it’s that time of year you can find The Wizard of Oz on one satellite channel or another. So grab your ruby slippers and we’ll be off to see the wizard, the wonderful Wizard of Oz! Dorothy wanted to get back home; the scarecrow wanted a brain, the tin man a heart and the cowardly lion courage. What would you ask for? Honestly….what would you ask for? I gave this much thought the other day while waiting out another tornado warning.

Like the scarecrow; “I could while away the hours, conferrin’ with the flowers, consultin' with the rain. And my head I'd be a scratchin', while my thoughts were busy hatchin', if I only had” no pain. Okay, so I changed the words, but think about what you could do if you had no pain! You could take on the world. Like the scarecrow, you can already do that. The power lies within you. With or without pain, I believe we can make the most of our world. Don’t count your bad days, concentrate on the good days.

As for the cowardly lion; “I'm afraid there's no denyin', I'm just a dandy-lion, a fate I don't deserve. I'm sure I could show my prowess, be a lion, not a mouse, if I only had the nerve.” No one feels they deserve the pain of Fibromyalgia. Well, unless you are a masochist that is. And as for nerves….well, I am afraid that’s the problem. I have way too many sensitive nerves. The lion didn’t know what he was asking for. Trust me on this one. I would love the courage to deal with this some days. There are days I want to hide myself away, to hibernate. Like you, I have had courage all along. We trudge on finding the courage to deal with Fibromyalgia. And like that field of poppies, sometimes we just want to lay down and go to sleep, but we do walk on.

The Wizard of Oz told the tin man: “A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others.”  I agree with the Wizard on this one. Count yourself fortunate if you have friends, true friends that share your good days as well as your bad days. Take the focus off yourself and shift it towards your friends. You will be happier for it and you may even find yourself in less pain. While the mind is busy it allows you to focus on things other than pain. Keep the mind busy.

Right now, my wizard is my pain relief. However that relief comes; be it the medical community, stress relieving exercises, hot showers or soaks in the tub, sleeping in a comfortable bed, the support and love of friends, curling up with a good book, or writing this blog, I find relief where I can. Like Dorothy, I didn’t really need the ruby slippers; I had the power all along. So keep the ruby slippers on if they make you feel better. Just remember to click your heels. Maybe someday when they find a cure for FMS, we can all look back on this as a dream as Dorothy did.