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God Bless the Wizard
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God Bless the Wizard |
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Larry C
since 2001-09-10
Posts 10286United States 
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God Bless the Wizard By Larry Chadwick How could I be in my thirties and still be afraid of the Wizard of Oz? Granted he was my boss. But it seems in relationships I had become afraid of my own shadow. And to make myself feel better I adopted a philosophy that seemed quite pious. Peace at any price. The bottom line was that it was a philosophy that provided me exemptions from conflict. It was amazing how many years it took me to realize it did not exempt me from the consequences of peace at any price. Regardless, my boss was my paper tiger and I spent three years going out of my way to maintain peace. Then one day he pushed me over the edge. The results of my pious philosophy spilled out in a loud shouting match. I am still not certain who was more shocked, him or me? Venting my three years of frustration I challenged his unreasonable demand of me. And he caved, instantly. I had inadvertently pulled back the curtain on my own Wizard of Oz and I was dumbfounded, as was Dorothy, at the truth revealed. It was an epiphany. Often the people who present the most bluster are actually the biggest cowards. It ranks right up there with the people who claim to have the toughest skin but in truth are the most sensitive of all. From that epiphany began a working relationship in a new job with a woman who gave me one of the greatest gives I was ever given. Vi Scott taught me that true friends could vigorously disagree while still remaining friends. God bless you Vi. I will love you forever. It is like a pebble dropped in a still pond that ripples. Rather like an impact that does not stop. The fact that it is unintended is utterly irrelevant. And without even trying you have altered a life. Forever. Why would you not take the risk of revealing who you really are? The chances of you making a difference are huge. You may never know someone even peeked behind the curtain and saw the Wizard. But the ripple will still have changed a life without your needing to know. Yup, God bless you Vi. October 24, 2005 If tears could build a stairway and memories a lane, I'd walk right up to heaven and bring you home again. |
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| © Copyright 2005 Larry Chadwick - All Rights Reserved | |||
Trillium
since 2001-03-09
Posts 12098Idaho, USA |
Larry: An enjoyable read and so true. As child I was raised to be "seen and not heard" unless someone actually spoke to me. I'm afraid I carried that on into adult life and was very hard for me to stand up for myself. No matter how upset I might be inside, I wouldn't say anything about it. Like you, I got pushed too far one time at work and really exploded. I didn't recognize myself and neither did anyone else! However it was a liberating experience and from that day on, I intended to have my say, regardless of how it might differ from someone else's. It took awhile to learn that I could speak my mind with tact and not alienate people or antagonize them. I'm still learning that lesson! Betty Lou Betty Lou Hebert |
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Kit McCallum
Administrator
Member Laureate
since 2000-04-30
Posts 14774Ontario, Canada |
Larry, this hit home with me today. I've been struggling a lot lately with "who I really am" and I appreciated reading this, as well as BettyLou's reply. Lots of similarities on this end. I enjoyed the self-reflection this piece sparked.  Best wishes, /Kit |
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Larry C
since 2001-09-10
Posts 10286United States |
Betty Lou, Adds new meaning to being a liberated woman! And thanks for sharing and reading.  Kit, It's always a bonus when a piece connects. Thanks a ton for the read and reply. I wish you peace.  If tears could build a stairway and memories a lane, I'd walk right up to heaven and bring you home again. |
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