Follow The Yellow Brick Road: What Oz Teaches Us About Divorce

The comfort of black and white…nobody knew it as well as Dorothy. She knew nothing but pecking chickens, garden-digging dogs, and mean old ladies on rickety bicycles. At the time, those problems seemed so big—until Dorothy found that all those tiny problems were nothing compared to what she woke up to face when her house pitched up in the air and landed in Oz. Bright new colors, vivid and scary—something she had never witnessed before. Color? What’s that?! Now, that old lady was a mean old witch, and she found herself desperate to get back home. Sound familiar?

Just as Dorothy felt when she landed in Oz, going through a divorce can feel like you’ve been thrust into a strange and scary new world. But in the hardship and newness of it all, there is much we can learn from Oz. These same lessons can help us to navigate the new normal and find that the very thing that threatens to destroy us will make us into the heroes, the flying-monkey-tamers, and the farm girls (or city girls) with courage that we were always meant to become.

“If we just keep walking, we’ll get to someplace sometime.” —Dorothy

There is a lot of wisdom in that line. You wake up one day, and the comfort of your black and white has suddenly changed to these new and foreign colors your eyes have never seen. You have no idea where you are going or where this path leads you; you only know that sometimes you just want to stop walking. You just want to give up. You want to lay down in the poppies and sleep forever.

But Dorothy was so wise when she said that, if we only keep walking, then we will get there—someplace at some time. Where that is and when that will be, well, that is still a mystery. But, if history tells us anything, things turned out pretty well for a certain Kansas girl who got everything she ever wanted, plus a little adventure in between.

“Are you a good witch or a bad witch?” —Glinda the Good Witch

“I’m no witch at all!”

That was Dorothy’s response to Glinda’s question, and a great response it was. It was, however, easy to see why Glinda thought she had powers; she just dropped an entire house on a mean old witch!

It goes without saying that each day brings new emotions, and some days, we feel like the kind and sweet person who could take on the world with a smile. Other days, we want to drop a house on someone, on the situation, and on the whole mess in general. Recognizing that you are somewhere in the middle of these emotions will set you free.

It is okay to have emotions that change with the tide. It is going to happen, and it is normal. However, remembering who you want to be will help you be who you want to be. Stay positive. Be the bigger person. Control your emotions. You have the power to overcome any ugly, green, melted-puddle-of-an-emotion—all within you. The effort, even if only 15 minutes at a time, is well worth it and so good for your soul.

“Hearts won’t be practical until they can be made unbreakable.” —The Wizard of Oz

The man behind the curtain said it all, and at the time, it was the perfect thing to say. We all long for that once-in-a-lifetime love, that unconditional I’ll-always-be-here, but sometimes, that just isn’t how things work. It’s sad. It makes you wish you never, ever gave your heart away in the first place.

What good is love if it is so impractical? It can be so tempting to think that you have wasted your time here, but the truth is that you’ve always been right where you needed to be. Your marriage helped to shape your character and ready you for the path ahead.

Hearts will never be practical, and that is simply because hearts weren’t made to be. It is these difficult times that reminds us we are our own anchor, our own home, and that we are more than our circumstances. We weren’t put here for comfort, but to grow up through the hard dirt and blossom. When you are tempted to regret your choices, remember that, without those choices, you wouldn’t be the same amazing, wonderful, well-rounded you. And that you is pretty great!

“You’ve had the power all along.” —Glinda

Dorothy spent so much time trying to find her voice. Little did she know, she had the power all along. You do too!

Comfort returns. Black and white comes back. You are left with only the memories of that scary time that will also, ironically, be one of your favorite memories as time goes on. You will meet new friends. You will conquer things you never dreamed of. You will learn that you are a powerful, little something that no witch dare stand up against, and you will do all of this with the same grace, kindness, and courage you always have. The power is right there inside you. You’ve always had it. I’m a firm believer that we are born with everything we need to face whatever comes our way. We just have to learn to dig it up and make it shine.

When you find yourself spinning in a house, with bicycles flying by the window frame, take heart. You are not alone. You have so many people in your life that love you—whether you realize it or not. Even down to the person who pours your morning coffee at the local diner, people care. Open your eyes. Walk the yellow brick road. You’ll get to someplace at some time. If you need a little help navigating, we are always here for you.

Contact us today to discover ways to grow, change, and embrace this new journey. We know you can do it. You’ve had the power all along.