A few days ago, I went to see the movie Alice in Wonderland. I read the book when I was in my early twenties and seeing the story told through Tim Burton’s imaginary world was enchanting. At one point in the film, there’s a scene where The Mad Hatter turns to Alice and says:
“You used to be much more...muchier. You've lost your muchness.”
That last phrase really struck me, first, because of the poetry of that statement, but also because of its deeper meaning. It got me thinking about how often and how easily we do lose our muchness. It happens when we let too much of the outside world takes up far too much space within ourselves.
When we start believing daily duties, obligations, chores, commitments and responsibilities are absolute priorities and need to be attended to above all else, we begin to become a little less. When we let others — family, friends, society, etc. — dictate and define how much we should or should not be, we often tone down who we are and silently accept to be less. Every time that we ignore, dismiss or neglect without hesitation our desire and need for fun, pleasure, goofyness and reverie in our life, we lose our muchness. We lose the fullness of what makes us who we are at the core. Reclaim it, I say! Make room within and reconnect with that muchness.
