6-20-22 Did you grow up loving Superman or Supergirl in the comics? I did, and they were good role models, up to a point. Happily, more modern renditions often try to show the “more human” side of our superheroes. Let’s face it, SM/G were always on the job, responsible for everybody and everything and they didn’t ask for anyone else’s help. Living that in real life is exhausting and indeed, it can be a very lonely job.

I have been guilty of being a superhero often throughout my life, and while I got the job done, it took a toll on me mentally and physically. However, that effect sometimes didn’t show up for quite a while and I often didn’t connect the dots. Sound familiar? This is alive for me right now because one of my friends is going through menopause, and our circle was recently supporting her. The discussion spilled over into how our self-identity is based on how strong we think we are, and that how strong we think we are is often is based on the original Superman and Supergirl image. Wrong Wrong Wrong! NO NO NO!

I have experienced many times of mental and physical debilitation that limited my ability to be that superwoman. I would be face to face with the fact that I couldn’t do something that I wanted to do, that I used to be able to do; or something I thought I “should” be doing but couldn’t. And every time I unlearned that I was not defined by what I did and instead honored that mourning, cherished myself just as I showed up and faced it all with gentleness, courage and compassion, I gained true strength. 

It takes warrior strength to love ourselves unconditionally and redefine how we look at ourselves. The human journey includes so much schmootz and snot and yuck. We often don’t show up the way we want to or hope to. Sorry, that’s just part of the deal for each and every one of us. And to still share our tremendous gifts every day …to know that we are more than enough to meet the challenges of life…to affirm ourselves as amazing, wonderful beings…that’s superhero stuff!

Today is a good day...and I make it so!