CLEVELAND — We worry of how long it will take to get through coronavirus; when we can breathe easy again. We look to leave this frightening drama of death, sickness, closed businesses, and high anxiety for a normalcy in our lives.
In "The Wizard of Oz," main character Dorothy loses her normalcy after a tornado twisted through the calm, dropping her into a strange place. "Wizard of Oz" is fiction, but a real-life Coronavirus is tragically fact. Dorothy struggles to find home – normalcy -- again. We look for that, too.
In the story, tornado-tossed Dorothy follows a yellow brick road to a place where she is to find the route home. Dorothy meets a downhearted Scarecrow, troubled because he feels he lacks a brain. Certainly, in our Coronavirus world, we look to scientific brainpower to solve the pandemic puzzle.
Scarecrow and Dorothy join forces and come upon Tinman, who is sad, crying that he has no heart. So Tinman joins Dorothy's parade. In our world, we see hearts of compassion and kindness and generosity and love.
The trio then meets a cowardly lion longing for courage. You and I know courage. Look into the faces of physicians, nurses, first responders, and all who meet coronavirus head-on.
The main characters in the "Wizard of Oz" doubt themselves, yet working together, they overcome many obstacles. It is then they realize what they all wanted, they had all along. Brains. Heart. Courage. A reminder: Even in this real-life pandemic world, we have them, too.
Also, Dorothy finds something. Home. She needed only to click her heels three times and she is home.
You and I pray for the "home" of normal times again. But it will take more than fancy footwork. We must take the right steps. Using brains, hearts, and courage, we will get through coronavirus. Yes, Dorothy reminds us "There is no place like home."
True.