Why the Duchess?

I love Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass and have since I was a young tyke. My folks purchased the tale for me on tape, and I would spend hours playing it over and over. Much time was spent scrounging for batteries to replenish my red and yellow tape recorder so that I could listen while being a 'good child' and playing outside (multi-tasking begins at such a young age).

While the fondness for this childhood tale is nothing extraordinary (the story is beloved enough to have been Disneyfied), my persistent affection is somewhat odd in that I've never really related to or associated with Alice. Most of my favorite stories contain characters, storylines, situations that had a comforting sense of familiarity: Diana Barry (Anne of Green Gable's best friend) was chubby, Jo March wanted to be a writer, Beezus Quimby couldn't draw, etc. Many writing classes promote the idea that the characters in a story must evoke some sense of empathy - the reader will not engage if they cannot relate.

Alice is a young dreamer, but she is a character that has few similarities to my life experiences: a blonde, British, younger sister who's dense enough to think that she was going to fall through the earth to Australia [anyone knows that if you're falling through the earth, you'll land in China]. =) Perhaps the fanciful characters bring me back; perhaps the lure of the 'cult classic' calls; perhaps I needed an answer to 'what's your favorite story' and this story elicited the most favorable response among adults; perhaps I'll never know what ties me to this surreal fairytale.

As I pondered the title for my weblog, my mind drew a blank. What could sum up thoughts regarding:

-- my walk'n'talk with Christ -- emerging church -- postmodern culture -- what does church gatherings look like for young adults? -- is Quakerdom being responsive to the moving of the Spirit? -- ramblings invoked by the readings of Nouwen, Merton, L'Engle, etc. -- desert mothers and fathers in the 21st century -- simple church movements -- authentic living -- finding my identity in my Abba Father -- mysticism -- being who God calls me to be -- ??!!??

What could encompass these elements of my rambling lifewalk?

The Duchess is a character known for wanting to moralize, or sum up, conversations: everything must have a meaning. “Everything’s got a moral, if only you can find it.” However, most of her conclusions are utter nonsense that don't relate to the present discussion, or are meanings that are convoluted by excess words flowery notations. I have a framed card sitting on my desk that summarizes a quote by the Duchess:

"'Be who you are,' said the Duchess to Alice, 'Or, if you would like it put more simply, never try to be what you might have been, or could have been, other than what you should have been.'"

In the midst of all her wordiness the Duchess’s intention and meaning are good and exactly what I truly desire: to be as I have been created to be. The Duchess also serves as a reminder that a) not all situations require a ‘lesson learned’ and 2) keep it simple, stupid.

And so as I wander through the madness of my daily activities, who better to wander with in the quest to be real – authentic – true – my God-created self?