There’s been a lyric buzzing around in my head the past few days. It comes from a song called “Tin Man” by America. I thought I would attempt to make sense of its presence by writing about it.

The lyric is: “But Oz never did give nothing to the Tin Man that he didn’t, didn’t already have.”

We’re all the “Tin Man,” looking for what we already have.

The “have” in this case is deeper than what shows up on the surface.

Most of our life is spent looking for something on the horizon, just out of reach. It’s a game of one step forward, two steps back.

We’re looking for Oz when all we need is what we have at home.

The question we fail to ask ourselves about our stated desires is this: “What will that get me?”

We are looking for the feeling that capturing what is out there will bring – Satisfaction, fulfillment, pride, accomplishment, freedom, etc.

We are always looking for the feeling the desire will bring. You don’t have to travel to Oz to get that feeling because you already have it.

The Tin Man was looking for a heart. What are you looking for?

It’s never the thing itself; it’s the feeling the thing will bring.

That feeling is always at home with you but we keep missing it by looking for it over the rainbow.

There is nothing wrong with seeking what’s out there, unless your main desire for getting it is to produce something you already have.

You own every feeling you need; you just need to recognize that you don’t have to travel to a far off land to get it.

During this Thanksgiving season, here is something else to be grateful for: You don’t need a pair of red shoes to get back home.

All the best,

John