The Road to Somewhere

Life has a limit and it passes by rather quickly. Life can be either a celebration, or a dark path. We are frightened for the end, but isn't it less frightening than life itself? You can end life in your liking, but life itself has no assurance for a stable road ahead.

I would identify life as a rollercoaster ride, a mix of emotions, and a tornado, hopefully, leading you back home. 

Why, you might ask, the use of 'The Wizard of Oz' as a metaphor? That yellow brick road, the dark forest, the cowardly lion, the brainless scarecrow, the heartless tin man, the wizard, and the wicked witch, and a whole lot more. But if you just consider the few I mentioned, what do you see?

An uncertain direction, a question of doubt, the lack of strengths, and the unexpected challenges. Dark isn't it?

But darkness 'can' fade away, if you want it to.

You enter a new chapter of your life, not familiar to the setting, the 'temptation of the unknown'. Will your choice be sunshine and comfort, or will it be darkness and, possibly, plenty of complications. It is a direction you choose to take or fall into.

You make friends, you are happy, all smiles and what ever more. Then something happens, but you maintain your ground. So, you continue and you may even fall in love. Just when you think things can't get any better, it doesn't, it gets worse.

You see it? The yellow brick road? The direction this is heading?

You make mistakes,  stupid mistakes, where you wish you had used your brain (the scarecrow). But that didn't stop you, you kept going.

Even though the path becomes darker, you keep going, you see a shimmering light (the tin man), the light in the nearing darkness, it is love. Love blinds you, blinds you from the darkness that may lie ahead. 

When challenges appear, you start questioning the love you give and the love you receive. Will the people you love so much stand beside you and keep you company through those hardships. Or will they give in to the flying monkeys so they will no longer need to struggle with you or for you. It is not the lack of a heart, nor the lack of love, but the determination to love. Are they willing to fight for you?

The doubt doesn't stop there. You start questioning 'your heart'. Do I deserve to be loved? The love you have for yourself becomes threatened. Not because of someone, but because of yourself. The darkness is slowly dimming the little light still shining in you and all you can think of is the bumpy road you are standing on, leading to a never ending darkness. But you keep going, you know the only way out is to pass through the dark forest. 

Darkness can represent so many things, different for each and every one of us. It represents a place where weakness and temptations may eat you up alive. And it is up to you to either hide behind a tree and wait for the sun to shine through (the lion) or stand tall and release the strong roar you have deep inside of you.

Life is not an easy road. You are placed on one and it is up to you to find out to where the road will lead you. You are faced with obstacles, sometimes you have others to lean on, sometimes you stand alone. Throughout you tend to question the road you have taken and whether the end will be better than the road you have taken. But when life gets complicated, think this; "keep going", "keep having faith" (the wizard), and "don't let obstacles bring you down" (the wicked witch). 

The Wizard of Oz can be seen as 'life'. While you're still walking the yellow brick road, struggling to get out of the dark forest, or fighting the wicked witch, just keep in mind that once you have spoken to the wizard, he will guide you to the place you call 'home'. But it is for you to decide where 'home' is.

Author's Note

This is my first online writing piece. My only experience is in writing/rewriting articles on social development projects/events/news, so I hope I have expressed myself clearly in a creative and understandable manner. Hope you like it. :)