I’m going to admit something to you. I like Miley Cyrus. I liked her as Hannah Montana. I liked her as she fought to define who she wanted to be after her Disney Days. I like her on The Voice. I like a lot of her music. Her personal life is her personal life and it’s not my place to judge.  Gotta say thought that her authenticity is refreshing.

I remember sitting with my son Jarod — who was very young when the teasers for the then “new” Disney series Hannah Montana were first shown. I remember watching episodes with him. I remember the struggle the Miley/Hannah character faced trying to be two different people, to keep her lives separated, to find a way to live normally with the world trying to discover her secrets, to determine her own identify and choose her preferred destiny alongside her supportive, albeit quirky family and friends. I liked her song Nobody’s Perfect. Jarod owned a couple of her CDs — when he was young. We sang along with them in the car. I liked the messages Hannah’s music offered young people.

I watched the Hannah Montana movie with Jarod. And, adult though I may be, her song The Climb has resonated with me since its first release.

I’ve included it on numerous “Mixed Tapes,” aka iTunes playlists. 🙂 And most recently, I added it to my Quarantine response playlist, which I named #ShelterSupported. I scrolled through my entire iTunes Library to create this playlist, choosing songs that encouraged me, brought me joy or offered a little extra chutzpah during this crazy COVID-19 time of crisis. I even downloaded songs suggested by my niece Abby to include music I don’t know … but if it supports or soothes her spirit, it can support and soothe mine.

Yesterday, my family took a trip to a nearby Metropark. We thought a little nature might serve us. And it did. We separated — we suddenly had new views and more space — to enjoy the scenery and fresh air. My husband brought his fishing gear and ventured down to the water. My daughter was content to listen to her own music and enjoy the scenery, sitting quietly on a tree stump. My son and I embarked on a bike ride — splitting off at the fork in the trail to go each our own way. I put my AirPods in my ears and listened to my #ShelterSupported Mix blending with the sounds of Nature.

I hadn’t ridden my bike at Kensington for some time. There are a lot of hills. Going down was freeing, the wind in my hair made me smile and gave my spirit a boost. But, then there was the return trip. After riding 3 miles one way, I had to ride the bike back.

On the return route, there were more up hills than down. I found myself adjusting gears to make the ride smoother. But then, I came to the final one. It was a doozy, believe me. There was a part of me that toyed with getting off the bike and walking it up. But then, Miley Cyrus and her song popped into my mind.

As I pedaled, I looked ahead. And I realized something. All I had to do was make one rotation of the pedals. And then, another. And then, another.

I thought about this Quarantine. The social distancing and the lack of access to friends, family and familiar activities. None of us can truly predict how long it will last. And what we’ll find when it finally ends — how we will have been transformed and what we will bring out of our quarantine and back into our “new” world. It’s an overwhelming thing to ponder at times. But, as I pedaled along, missing friends and so much of what I enjoy, I also realized that I was thriving in this new environment. That I was finding new strength and different joys and laughter. That simple things offered pleasure. That a puzzle, a good book, a virtual yoga class and a knitting project for a new baby were enough for now. I find happiness daily. It’s not all doom and gloom — nothing is ever all one thing. Good seeps thru the cracks.

I gotta tell you, though, this hill was daunting.

But then, there they were. Two women walking up the hill began to encourage me. They told me I could do it. Two strangers offered me support, cheering me on as I made the climb. And, when I reached the top, a bit winded to be honest, they celebrated that victory with me — from the minimum 6 foot away distance, of course. And I thanked them, feeling a little stronger and very pleased with myself.

Miley’s words echoed in my mind. I could have fallen. I felt stressed. There were some challenging moments. But when I felt myself tipping, I simply focused on pedaling. On maintaining balance. I focused on The Climb.

That’s all any of us can do right now. Focus on The Climb. We’re gonna reach the top at some point. The peak. And then, we can let go of the pedals and glide down the hill, enjoying the wind in our hair and on our faces. But, it’s The Climb and how we face that hill that helps us find #Muchness.

So, when you look at the hill, and think you can’t make it, just keep pedaling. One rotation at a time. It’s enough.

                                                                                           Jenni

When I began to navigate Alice’s Adventure into #Muchness, the message that kept coming to mind meant something very different. Now, three weeks into the COVID-19 Quarantine where my daily status is to Stay Home and Shelter, Poison is wearing a very different costume. But its threat remains the same.

First … a quick recap.

When last we left Alice, she had ventured into the Rabbit Hole. She fell, if you are at all familiar with the tale, for quite some time. And as she fell, she noticed cupboards and shelves full of such significant things as Orange Marmalade, globes, maps and many, many books. Down, down, down she fell, not knowing when this strange experience would end. Not knowing what she would find when it did.

Sound familiar?

As she fell, she began to recite nonsense and to contemplate strange things. In a time for our world where I’m separated from friends, loved ones and regular activities — where simple outings are no longer simple and every encounter requires 6 feet of separation, I find myself doing much the same.

Lucky for Alice, Lewis Carroll didn’t write her fall to last weeks or months. Eventually after a two-page tumble, she hit the ground, found herself in a round hall, and determined that she was going to get out.

With Alice — if you take the time to read her story, there are not a lot of “shoulds.” (Another reason I admire her.) She didn’t spend a lot of time questioning whether she SHOULD open a door and venture into the unknown. #Muchness comes from courage and trusting instincts. From plotting a course and venturing forward, bravely and with confidence.

How she longed to get out of that dark hall and wander about among those beds of bright flowers and those cool fountains …

And then came the little bottle.

“A little bottle that hadn’t been there before with a paper label round its neck with the words “DRINK ME” beautifully printed on it with large letters.”

Alice was a wise girl — yes, restless and curious as I mentioned previously. But while #Muchness comes with Restlessness, Imagination and Curiosity, it also comes with Wisdom. She wasn’t going to follow the direction on that little bottle too quickly. She checked to make sure it wasn’t marked “Poison.” She’d heard what happened to others who were hurt when they didn’t check the rules first. And a bottle marked poison is — according to Alice — “certain to disagree with you, sooner or later.”

But we do it. We drink the bottle that says Poison, don’t we? Unlike Alice, there are many times in our lives when we venture forward equipped with knowledge and aware that what we are doing is eventually going to come back and bite us in the … well, disagree with us, sooner or later.

Oh, we don’t always quite literally stumble upon a bottle with a DRINK ME label and then ponder whether or not it may harm us. But, we make choices to do things that we know aren’t truly good for us. We do things that may not always be in our best interest. Perhaps we have a habit or two that would be better to let go of. Perhaps we have people in our lives that we spend time with, knowing we will suffer for it afterwards — could be due to unkindness, harsh or cavalier treatment, bad choices we make in their company or their lack of appreciation for who we are or what we offer.

No. Poison doesn’t always come in a bottle that is easily distinguishable. It comes in the form of people who hurt us — either carelessly, deliberately or unknowingly. People who are toxic to us. People who are not for us — or perhaps, just perhaps we are not for them.

There are situations we choose — even accidentally — to open ourselves up to that endanger us or distress us. Perhaps the poison comes in the form of unkind words, an unsupportive employer or colleague or an abusive relationship.  Poisonous words hurt us physically, emotionally, spiritually or affect us on some deeper level. They tear us down when we take them in.

We eat this, drink that, inhale substances, smoke cigarettes, drive a car after one too many. We accept verbal, mental or physical abuse when we know we should walk away. We make excuses for bad behavior. We put up with unkindness or hang out with people who are doing or engaging in things we know are ‘questionable.’ We drive too fast. We eat too much. We indulge whims. We spend too much. We neglect self-care in favor of something that feels good in the moment.

Too much chocolate can be Poison. Too little exercise can be Poison. People can be Poison or can invite us into Poisonous Places. Too much spending can be Poison.

What is your Poison? What comes with a Drink Me label for you that might disagree with you, sooner or later?

If we venture out into today’s world in groups or with others, we are drinking Poison. If we ignore CDC warnings, we dabble with Poison. If we don’t wash our hands thoroughly or if we don’t keep the required distance, we could drink Poison. Carelessness comes with a price.

We may deny its potential fatal consequence. But inside, we — like Alice — know that:

“If you drink much from a bottle marked “poison” it is certain to disagree with you, sooner or later.”

So why do we do it? Drink the Poison? Is the temporary “whatever” it offers worth playing with the danger? Apparently it is, since we keep drinking it.

Until we decide not to. Until we put down the bottle and walk away.

In my exploration into #Muchness, I’ve struggled with my own bottles of Poison. Sometimes its taste — a mixed flavor of cherry-tart, custard, pine-apple, roast turkey, toffee and hot buttered toast taste — masks what is underneath. Sometimes it goes down easily. And other times, I’ve wrestled with side-effects. Too much of a good thing isn’t good. Too much of something that isn’t good at all for you … well, that’s just bad.

Unfortunately, Poison doesn’t always come in a little bottle with a warning label. But we should pause — like Alice — when we find a bottle on a little glass table featuring a tag and the enticing words DRINK ME.  We should consider the cost before indulging. And in my quest to find #Muchness in today’s Wonderland, I invite each of you to decide for yourself … To Drink or Not To Drink.

… That is the question.

                                                                                           Jenni