Ask Alice. If she had not believed she could possibly shrink enough to follow the rabbit through that tiny door, she never would have drunk from the bottle. She would have, instead, thought, "Impossible and silly, a drink that could make me grow small."
And what then? She never would have had those amazing adventures! She would have found herself back on the bank with Dinah, wondering forever what might have happened had she tried to get into that beautiful garden.
Lately I am embracing my inner Alice. Doors are flying open for me left and right, and for the first time in many years I find myself willing to (and fully capable of) shrinking or growing just enough to walk through.
But here's the deal... the doors aren't going to open themselves. You have to WANT to drink from the bottles and eat the cakes. You have to do a little more than want to, actually. You need to pick up the dang bottle yourself, uncork and drink. That's the first step.
Second step is shimmying yourself on through to Wonderland. Not Alice's Wonderland, of course, but your own. The one of your own making.
Because that's what this world becomes if you start following your dreams, pursuing your passions, and taking the opportunities that are given you in life. It becomes a Wonderland, full of interesting people willing to help you on your way.
So another "aha" moment. Words of wisdom (albeit to myself) spiraling from a thread on my own Facebook page. And here's why it's on my home schooling blog, and not my other personal blog. (Although it may end up there, too.)
If I can show my kids how to drink from the bottle and eat the cakes, the will live a happy, fulfilled life! You can't possibly fail if you follow your dreams with passion and determination. And what better way to show them how to do just that than through example.
I have to be Alice.
Then perhaps they, too, will find their way to Wonderland.
I think that choosing homeschooling is such a leap of faith that it naturally puts us in a place to embrace all the opportunities that come our way. Being open to new thoughts and new ways of living creates positive energy which attracts positive things. I love reading blogs about other families all in the same stage of homeschooling (one year or less) and recognizing so many of the same experiences. I find it quite amazing actually.
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I love that, Jessica! "Embrace you wonderland." And I think you are absolutely right about that leap of faith. It sets of a chain of positive energy that moves us all toward the rabbit hole!
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