Find the ME in your Muchness

00 JOURNAL  |  WONDER

Somewhere along the way, many of us stop paying attention to ourselves. Not completely. Just gradually.

Life gets busy. Responsibilities grow. Expectations multiply. We learn how to fit in, keep up, be productive, be responsible, and do what needs to be done. Much of that is necessary and worthwhile. But sometimes, without realizing it, we begin to lose touch with the things that once felt most like us. The interests we followed simply because they were interesting. The questions we asked because we were curious. The little things that brought us joy. The parts of ourselves that didn't need a reason.

As children, we often move toward these things naturally. We notice details. We collect treasures. We ask questions. We become fascinated by things that make no sense to anyone else. We don't do these things because they're useful. We do them because we want to. Because we're curious. Because nobody has told us yet that every interest needs a purpose, every hobby needs a goal, or every moment needs to be productive.

As we grow older, it's easy to believe those parts of ourselves are supposed to disappear. That growing up means becoming more practical, more serious, more efficient. But I've never been convinced that's true.

For a long time, I hadn't thought much about any of this. Then I became a parent. As my children grew, I began noticing small moments that stayed with me. Moments when they questioned things they once loved. Moments when they hesitated to share something that felt uniquely them. Moments when fitting in suddenly seemed more important than being themselves.

And if I'm honest, I started noticing it in myself too. Not because anyone told me to change. Just because that's often what happens as we move through life. We adapt. We become more careful. More aware of expectations. More focused on what we're supposed to be doing.

Watching my children grow made me realize how much of ourselves can slowly get tucked away without us meaning to. It also made me realize how important it is to keep making room for those parts. To notice what keeps coming back. To notice what still feels like us. To notice what sparks curiosity, wonder, excitement, or peace.

Because when we know ourselves better, something interesting happens. We become more comfortable being ourselves with other people. We become more honest. More trustworthy. More accepting of differences. More able to build relationships that aren't based on performance. The result isn't just self-awareness. It's connection. To ourselves. To each other. To the life we're actually living.

MUCHNESS began with a simple idea: what if growing up didn't have to mean growing away from yourself?

The name comes from a line in Alice in Wonderland. Alice is told she has lost her "muchness" — the spark, curiosity, imagination, and sense of self that once made her uniquely her. That idea stayed with me because I think many of us know what that feels like. And I think many of us are looking for our way back.

Find the ME in your Muchness. That's what MUCHNESS is about.