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Scholars of literature have suggested Lewis Carroll’s “Alice in Wonderland” was written to illuminate life’s challenges and absurdities in storybook form.

If so, Carroll, a highly intelligent and sensitive gentleman — those being the two supreme foundations for the neurodivergence necessary to creating such a fascinating tale — scored a remarkable success.

That’s important, because you and I live in a nutty Wonderland. 

Note — Multiply the “N” factor by two if you reside in Asheville. But no matter where you travel or rest your hat, there are modern day Queens wishing to cut off your head; Mad Hatters working to distract you; and Cheshire Cats seeking to manipulate you.

It’s tough out there.

As you stroll through your little piece of Wonderland, here are 10 tips to help you navigate the hurdles:

 â€¢ Laugh — Laughing lowers your blood pressure, heart rate, and other stress responses. Laughing helps you keep your perspective when everyone around seems to have lost theirs. Laughing keeps you from treating all the craziness too seriously.

 â€¢ Work —  Being busy, useful and productive is like the unique drug nicotine – it calms and uplifts at the same time. Not working does just the opposite and creates an itch that no amount of more not working can scratch. 

• Think— But not too much. Actually, thinking and the intelligence that supposedly births it are highly overrated. IQ (intelligent quotient) is about our capacity to learn. EQ (emotional quotient) is about our capacity to apply learning to real life. That takes knowledge, heart, courage, maturity, training and a whole lot of other things besides just thinking.

• Love — We were put on this planet to make things better for our fellow man. That takes love. Love, in its most precious form, is like gold. You have to dig it up and bring it to life to make it special. Love as a feeling or thought is nice. Love as an action is the one that is important. Spoiler alert – the best way to feel loved (something we all need) is to give love.

• Believe — People who have a functional belief in where we came from; what we’re supposed to do while we’re here; and where we’re going when we leave here do better than those without a spiritual foundation. Choose wisely, though. As someone who’s searched in every nick and cranny for a Plan B, the foundation faith of our great nation – Christianity – still turned out to be my Plan A. I wish I had saved myself all that wear and tear. You? 

• Forgive — We live in a very angry culture. No magic in that – anger is a fast antidote to fear, hurt and sorrow. Unfortunately, it’s also addictive, negative and poisonous to the container that holds it. Forgiveness — with some love, maturity and persistence for seasoning — is the only real counterpoison.

* Appreciate — An attitude of gratitude is a magic potion. It keeps your tires filled with air and guards you from the temptations of judgmentalness, irresponsibility and selfishness. The ungrateful? Well, let’s just suggest there’s a lot of miserable people running around for a definable reason.

• Create — This is probably one of the most underrated tools on the planet – and art is only the tip of the iceberg. In its best form, creativity is the learned skill of finding ways over, around, under and through problems. Like all skills, creativity takes practice. Problems exist on this planet for many reasons, but pushing us to grow our creativity is a big one.

• Contribute — Like the lazy, takers create itches on their own soul that can never be scratched away. Givers – those who contribute and put something back into life – feed their soul in more-or-less direct proportion to that which they give. For those struggling to find personal happiness, there’s a big lesson in that last sentence.

• Question — Most human beings are satisfied to be self-important mimics of others. To the extent most of us build our social-emotional coping strategies in middle-school, it’s easy to understand the cliquish temptations of being an echo. How much better it is to be an independent thinker and doer, searching for what’s best, instead of joining a herd heading toward a cliff.

• Model — Yes, you added right, this eleventh suggestion was tossed in as a bonus. No matter how big or small, smart or average, or young or old you are, there’s someone around you who’s watching you. It may be a liberal Karen or government lawfare huckster, but it’s more likely someone who is seeking to learn from you. Give them something they can use. Being a role model of good things is the absolutely best way on the planet to make the planet better.  

 As you go about your days, remember Alice. 

She was a model of love and normalcy amidst a cast of characters relentlessly confusing folly with virtue. 

You and I face the same performers today.