I declare that today is Tin Man Day!
Remember the Tin Man from the movie "The Wizard of Oz"? When Dorothy first discovers the Tin Man, he is standing out in the elements and completely rusted over. None of his joints move. Dorothy and her companion, the brainless Scarecrow, are about to desert the rust bucket and continue on their journey, but they hear a faint sound come from the lips of the man. They hurry to oil the Tin Man's joints and free him from his rusted state, and so enters another character in the great fable of Oz.
I have often recreated the Tin Man character in my studio when I am faced with frozen, immoveable joints and hinges. In fact, this is something that I regularly watch for in my students. Any joint in the body has the potential to become rusted to a standstill. My job is to find those points and to get the joints loosened up again. We do not use an oil can, but we have fun rubbing some special lotion on the area. Somehow the visual representation of putting lubrication on the affected joint helps students to loosen up the rusty hinge.
So today we look for any rusty hinges or joints in the body: neck, shoulder, elbow, wrist, fingers, hips, knees, ankles, and feet. Get that bottle of lotion out and start lubricating the stiff spots! Make up a game to do this, or use the Tin Man story, as I do.
Happy Tin Man Day!
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