Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland could be a best seller today…in a whole new genre… if its wisdom was rendered anew in a snazzy self-help format.  So many lessons wrapped in biting humor…j’adore…and I always will. 

There’s one snippet, especially, that stokes the fire in my creative furnace.  It works every time…a wee segment from Chapter 5 where the ever-caustic straight-talk from the Queen cuts through. 

I think her words have the capacity to work wonders (wink!) to counter modern day malaise, creative funks.  Just enough of a goose to toss me back into the game.  “Get in there, girl”, I hear the Queen saying, “You’ve got stories of your own to tell!” 

Here’s the message from the “Queen as Coach”. Thank you, Lewis Carroll:

Alice laughed. “There’s no use trying,” she said: “one can’t believe impossible things.”
“I daresay you haven’t had much practice,” said the Queen. “When I was your age, I always did it for half-an-hour a day. Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

Yes, yes.  From the Queen’s lips to my ears…head, heart.  Alice was whining…just a tad.  I can’t, she laments. Not unlike my sometimes negative, lackluster voice…the heckler in my head.  You can’t.  Even if you did, it’s not good enough.  Alice and I share inner critics who shut us down before we find our groove.  Our creative lane.

In my head, I also imagine the Queen uttering, under her breath, “Pish-posh” as she deftly commiserates with Alice, while also busting her chops.  “Believe in the impossible…but for pity’s sake, you DO need to do the work.  Get up early and crank it out!” 

Yes, my Queen.  I hear you.  I don’t know if I can conjure six impossible things before breakfast but maybe I can take a swing and round up one or two.  If I believe I can…Vicki in Wonderland.

Big smiles…from me and the Queen,

Vicki 🧡

27 thoughts on “Vicki in Wonderland”

  1. Oh, I love this! It’s been so long since I’ve read Alice in Wonderland that I’d forgotten the Queen’s words, but this is a fantastic take. Rather than a bully, she is a motivational coach. Fantastic!! 😂😂

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    1. Aww…I’m so glad it hits you in the same way it does me! I can take the ‘tough love’ from the Queen…like you said, not bully-like…especially as I get older. I think I like the straight talk. xo to you this morning! ❤

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  2. I can’t say I ever thought of the Queen as coach, although I’ve always been partial to the Duchess’s wisdom, “there’s a moral to everything if you can find it.” Almost makes you want to believe in unicorns 🙃

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    1. Oh…you’ve got me smiling, Michael! I love the wisdom from the Duchess, too! Send out the search party…you can make stuff meaningful if you look. And yes…maybe even elusive unicorns might appear. Hope you have a wonderful day, my friend! 😊😊😊

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  3. Love this! Alice was indeed whining (and they may or may not have sounded a little familiar). 😆 Also, you probably remember this from your chorale days, but in singing, they say you have to “hear it” before you can hit the part. I guess that’s sort of like imagining the impossible. Visualize it. Then do the work. Love it! 🤍

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        2. I see these typos all the time in my comments – AFTER the fact. But this one has me laughing. Apparently you get multiple hugs, but only one smile. 😆 Okay, that’s all for real now. 🤍

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          1. OMG – too funny. I didn’t notice…but I know exactly what you mean. I’m forever catching mistakes in posts JUST AFTER I HIT ‘publish’ which is annoying and same for errors in comments…unintended little ‘whoopsies’. I’ll take a singular smile and multiple hugs, any day — just so you know! 😉

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  7. Tchaikovsky once wrote about matters pertaining to writing, discipline, motivation, and inspiration, “I sit down to work each morning at 9 am, and the muse has learned to be on time.” Thanks, Victoria, for an always timely reminder for writers.

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    1. Dr. Stein! That’s beautiful — thank you so very much for sharing. What’s better than an on-time muse? I love that. And…I appreciate you for reading. 😊😊😊

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      1. You get me thinking of other books we should read from a different perspective. Harry Potter as a self help book on how to deal with bullies; gone with the wind on matchmaking; the Great Gatsby on how to build a long term financial portfolio? Hmm, something to think about!! Lol!

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