Superheroes have always been quite an obsession of our culture. I mean, how could they not be? To be quite honest, I have kind of reached superhero saturation these days because, well, there’s a new movie and show it seems almost every month. What I do love are the “older” superhero movies, like when Toby Maguire was Spiderman and there was so much STORY in the movies. There’s nothing I love more in a movie or a show than a great story. Special effects? Take em or leave em. Great acting? I like it just fine. But if the STORY is great, I’m hooked regardless of the other stuff. And the story behind the superheroes is what I love.
There’s always this common theme that runs behind a superhero story. Peter Parker loses his uncle who he loved like a father. (Real comic book fans could actually tell you what happened to his parents, but I’m gonna guess that it was a sad story too). Bruce Wayne loses his parents tragically. There’s some adversity that is fairly insurmountable that sends them into a different realm of their lives. And then obviously, something supernatural occurs, and it allows them the chance to overcome their pain by helping others. This seems like it’s also a common theme amongst real life “superheroes” or great men and women in history…minus the radioactive spider bite or the Batmobile! Basically, they are faced with pain, loss, or difficult odds stacked against them, and they are given a choice. Overcome it all, or sit on the couch and eat potato chips, fading into oblivion. Alright, maybe not EXACTLY that choice, but you catch my drift.
You know what I think is the most SUPER thing about these superheroes and these great men and women in history? It’s that they got back up again after their tragedy. It’s more impressive to me that they chose to survive…even more than it is that they made great strides after they survived. I think that after I went through intense pain and loss, getting up again felt impossible. I wasn’t sure if there was any fire left in me or any way I could rally and GET UP. I am not a superhero. I have no radioactive spider bite or super cool car. And for a while, the only way I got out of bed was that I absolutely had no choice in the matter.
I was born with an intense amount of passion and drive. I am one of those people who will champion a cause like nobody’s business. Give me a topic, even a silly one, and I could give you an emotionally compelling case that would move you. When I was in charge of a bunch of people at my job, I wouldn’t allow them to speak negatively about themselves or their lives because dang it, they were GOING to succeed and I wanted them to know that and believe that. I got to watch many of them do things they never thought they would be able to. But then, I lost so much of what I had and who I was. I lost so much of my life in so many ways, that I couldn’t even champion a trip to the grocery store. I felt frozen in an alternate reality where I was watching everyone around me live their lives and I could do nothing to fix or change my situation. So to me, getting up again is the most super thing anyone can do and it is what makes normal people superheroes. Messing up and falling down, OR doing everything right and getting smacked down cruelly by other people or by life, and getting up again IS the great triumph.
I got up. I don’t give myself credit for that. I had very little to do with any of my “achievements”, I just find that I was willing to just put one foot in front of the other even when I really didn’t want to. And now I want to live my life in a way that changes things for the people around me…helps them succeed in their dreams and makes them able to thrive and not just survive. A lot of us have gotten knocked down by life. But if we can just get up again, we can be superheroes to the people around us and encourage them in ways that may seem small, but might make all the difference in the world to them.
Okay you guys, I gotta admit to you that this look was all inspired by Ke$ha. Yep. I said it. She championed this look long before anyone was doing the cowboy/boho thing and when I saw her music video for “Your Love is My Drug” featuring beards (long before they were in style), cutoff shorts, cacti and the desert (again, before those were EVERYWHERE), and an amazing Native American breastplate, I HAD TO HAVE ONE. I looked high and low, and it only took me about 5 years. Not too bad huh? Hahahaha…
I sorta kinda feel like a superhero in this breastplate necklace. Because I mean, come one. This is thing is SO MAJOR (to quote Rachel Zoe!). I found it on Etsy for a steal of a price compared to what they can go for. I feel super awesome like Ke$ha (or Key-dollar sign-ha for those Glee fans out there!).
You girls are champions whether you know it or not. I say that because if I’m one, you are too. No matter if you’re up already, or still down, YOU are someone and to someone else, you are a superhero. Have an amazing weekend!
Katy