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Retirement Sentiments."Follow The Yellow Brick Road."
If you came to me looking for directions to the Emerald City, and I told you to follow the Yellow Brick Road,
you would know that you were off to See the Wizard, the wonderful Wizard of OZ!
And soon we might talk of the memorable characters you would meet along the way.
Dorothy and Toto (“Toto, I’ve a feeling we’re not in Kansas anymore.”) The brainless Scarecrow, the heartless Tin Man and the cowardly Lion. The Wicked Witch of the West, the Good Witch of the North and the Wonderful Wizard of OZ.
And you won’t forget the shy, friendly Munchkins or the evil Winged Monkeys.
Well, I’m no Wizard, though I do live in the Emerald Isle. I would like to tell you why I have included this story on www.retirement-stories.com - apart from the fact that it is one of my favourite stories.
 The opening title on the 1939 film states:
“For nearly forty years this story has given faithful service to the Young in Heart, and time has been powerless to put its kindly philosophy out of fashion.”
And so I dedicate this website to all Retirees who are Young in Heart.
I have already stated elsewhere that retirement represents one of life’s most difficult transitions.
In transition we will often ask ourselves - will I be good enough? Have I got the resources I need for the new situation?
We know, that like Dorothy, you will meet obstacles along the way to your “heart’s desire”... retirement financial planning, retirement lifestyle planning, best retirement locations and you may wonder if you need a “Wizard” (retirement coaching).
 When Dorothy and her three companions finally got to meet the Wizard - after a perilous journey - he promised that he would grant their wishes, but with one condition - they must first perform a task to test for the qualities that they believed they lacked.
The Scarecrow didn’t have a brain, the Tin Man didn’t have a heart, the Lion lacked courage, and Dorothy didn’t know that her magic ruby slippers could get her home to Kansas.
He tasked them to bring back the broomstick of the Wicked Witch of the West. They set out through the Haunted Forest. Dorothy is captured by the army of bluish ugly winged monkeys and brought to the Witch’s castle, where she feels in great danger.
During the successful rescue attempt, the Scarecrow, Tin Man and Lion each display the qualities they seek -ingenuity, compassion and courage.
The Wizard turned out to be an “ordinary” man - an “impostor!” He couldn’t give them brains, compassion and courage, but he could help them change their self-limiting beliefs.
He set them a task to demonstrate to themselves that they already had the resources they needed. The antagonist was not the wicked witch with her winged monkeys and spells, but the forces within their own minds.
In raising their self awareness, the Wizard changed their beliefs and changed their lives.
 If you are approaching retirement, or already there, do you have a dream about what lies “Over the Rainbow?” Is there something about yourself that you want to change or improve?
And the “kindly philosophy” referred to in the opening title? In Dorothy’s words -
“Well, I think that it wasn’t enough just to want to see Uncle Henry and Auntie EM, and if I ever go looking for my hearts desire again, I won’t look any further than my own backyard because, if it isn’t there, I never really lost it to begin with. Is that right?”
I hope you enjoyed this story. Please share your Retirement Stories and Anecdotes! Everyone loves a great story and a super anecdote or two!
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