A Story for times of change....

Stories so often are told about journeys...
This week I have been reminded of Dorothy's famous comment as she looked around her at the strange land of Oz- "We're not in Kansas anymore!"

Why are these stories of travel so compelling, for both young and old? Our family are Trekkies, and I love the sound of Jean-Luc Picard's voice at the start of each episode inviting us to "boldly go where no-one has gone before".

Is it because the challenges of the unknown, the unfamiliar, the unexpected, force us to develop courage, resilience and creativity?  Is it something to do with character- a sometimes neglected part of being a human being, pushed out of our schedules by our focus on doing rather than being? Journeys of any kind will require us to do new things- whether that's defusing a Clingon argument or throwing water over a witch- but the more important growth happens when we reflect on how we do these new things.

Now that we find ourselves travelling to somewhere new, somewhere that seems at times as strange as Oz, I find myself admiring Dorothy's character and hoping I can display some of it. She showed resilience and cheerfulness, the ability to see and encourage qualities in others that they could not recognise in themselves, and the courage to challenge lies and speak the truth.

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