Be Your Super-Hero

 

Be Your Super-Hero

I don’t believe many realize this; especially as they get further past the age of ten. But you’re supposed to be your Super-Hero. We all have that ability to be a Super-Hero. Go ahead laugh—then picture who you’d be if you decided to be your Super-Hero. Metaphorically, your cape may be your grimace or your smile. It dresses up your look. Both cover complaints, bodily or otherwise.

Something always needs to be rescued—that’s why I believe most of us get to the point of internally feeling overwhelmed, apathetic—Basically disenchanted with our lives and the life around us.

Every day at some point and time I think, what would or could make me a Super-Hero? In my darkest moments I consider how insignificant I have been and perhaps always will be. Yet there’s a component to my nature that perpetuates the desire to be a Super-Hero. Because we all need a Super-Hero. There’s no denying that.

I began to hash this out last night as I watched another episode and another episode of “Arrow”. I’m truly not a big Super-Hero fan—when it comes to watching such programs. However, I’ve learned to write about how one could be a Super-Hero in my screenplays. I’m way more inclusive than many past scripts I’ve viewed in the Super-Hero genre. I write about women. My Super-Hero leaders are usually minorities, women who’ve stepped over the line skirting the edges of the law. And of course, my favorite character—the true vigilante for justice.

They’re academia is displayed in the screenplays I write. Their humbleness and willingness to try new things are ever present in them. And that I do believe is part of what makes a person a Super-Hero. Their willingness to try something new having the stick to it attitude like a honey badger in attack mode protecting its base. It has no time to be dismayed. It will not let go ‘til it knows it’s safe. There’s an old saying about that. It goes like this: “Today, the honey badger may lose its life. But tomorrow, the attacker (no matter how big) will die from its wounds.” I live by that.

Sticking to something like a diet or exercise regiment takes at least six months of constant doing and practice with not ever a slip-up. Yet the approach must be reasonable. I’ll give you an example: A former superior of mine who I served under in the Marines has always battled her weight issue. After two failed gastric bypass surgeries she now knows she’s still in the fight for her health. She, living over 1,300 miles away from me out in the Northern-Midwest with her husband. Every two to three weeks I call her.

The chat sometimes is put on speaker for her husband— so he can join our sometimes-two-hour long chat. Usually, it’s a good hour-long call with her. We chat about her diet, her exercise she’s done every day. Her VA doctor visits, along with her nutritional VA counselor visits. The VA is quite often the stomping ground for new ideas before they are brought to the forefront of the civilian population. I see this opportunity with her, not only to reconnect with who I consider my family. Yet also the science she shares with me. So, I can perhaps share with others and help them.

I remember back in the late 1980’s into the early 1990’s they were giving veterans in the VA chicken cartilage. This was one of the beginnings of the understanding of Glucosamine and L-Chondroitin effects on arthritic joints in humans. As well, at about that time perhaps a little after—cutting edge psychological treatments on using EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) were used for soldiers with flashback issues. Which the VA had much success with them and then EMDR came into play by the late 1990’s for the civilian population. That procedure was so new around 1999 for civilians—that one would have to travel to places like Princeton or New York City to receive treatment from a qualified MSW.

Going back now to my thoughts of Be Your Super-Hero. As I watched the character named Oliver Queen rehab himself in his undisclosed location. Queen after having a couple arrows shot through his right scapulae area by an imposter. The imposter was dressed similarly with a hooded outfit like Oliver Queen’s Super-Hero status. The imposter used black arrows with an arrow that could split human bones upon contact. His intent unlike Queen’s encompassed only on revenge. Queen’s intent was to thwart corruption—and to bring truth and honor to Starling City.

As I watched a sort of leaping chin-up exercise Queen was performing to regain his strength—I asked myself—what would it take to accomplish that? I knew I struggled with chin ups and pull ups all my life. I can do a flexed arm-hang for just under two minutes on my good days. My goal of three minutes still hangs in the balance. As all the ligaments from just after both my index fingers towards both radial bones are completely obliterated from my therapy job I had for nearly thirty years. Pain there has been present for over two decades. As I’d worked, snapping and grinding sounds began almost a decade ago. I’ve always known how to push past pain whether at work or play.

Yet, I began obsessed many years ago with the idea of overcoming my chin up and pull up issues. However, I know to conquer the three-minute flexed arm hang first. Its only logical. As I watched “Arrow” last night these thoughts remained in my mind. Queen’s muscular structure showed, and I knew where mine could be improved. Aside from my writing/editing, keeping home and raising children—I began the vision of my mission. It was time to thwart the persistence of the negative views’ society attempts to supplant in our souls—and most others believe are true.

After watching “Arrow” I had wicked dreams last night. In one dream—I had to outsmart and physically save our daughters from a bear. Yes that was my dream. In the dream—I locked one of our daughters in a room when the bear became most vicious. I decided to stand and fight him. That was my dream. In real life, I have run into bears in the woods alone on a run. It had been alarming, yet I knew to remain calm and trust my instincts of how to speak to the bear—how to hold my head avoiding eye contact, and how to gently avoid their interest as they’d watched me.

When I awoke this morning, the bear in my dream was ever-present in my mind. I wondered, was I scared or were these feelings of indifference? And what was my bear? Where was I going with these thoughts? As I did morning chores, woke our youngest up for school, set up her thermos, and made her coffee for the day. The dream’s scenes recycled through my mind.

I then realized as I’d gotten all my morning chores done faster than I could ever remember—as I saw our youngest off to school. What I’d been desiring and missing was the old early morning run. Rather the feeling of desiring to get out to run soon before work/writing and after getting both children out to school. That’d been lost amid the shuffling of life. Losing a spouse, living in a more crowded world with a pandemic that upended business, training, children’s lives, how we lived and such. It was a cacophonous essence of which I’d wondered if I had unwittingly climbed out of yet. Or wondered when I’d climb out of it—if I hadn’t already.

Doing so, would take much risk. In the process of my own re-invention—to renew what I could salvage from the living of past experiences. I decided that there were avenues I didn’t need to relive yet could not forget. The energy I could derive from them—would rekindle the dreams I’d contemplated nearly twenty years ago.

I knew what I had to do. I had to think once again like a Super-Hero. Super-Heroes know their flaws. They admonish themselves to a ridiculous level. There are no compliments they can survive. For it would reduce their powers—powers to think in an ever-expanding way. Thinking globally is automatic and all-encompassing for a Super-Hero. And it must be that way. My regular fight coach had complimented me one day while we were being filmed in his office. As the camera was rolling I nearly jaw-dropped my coach after he’d given me compliment. I had no response. I heard a scoff; he looked me, “You know what a compliment is—don’t you?” I replied, “What’s that?”

An appropriate response for a Super-Hero. Because no matter what you want to be—you must act and think as though you’ve already achieved that which you desire. And with that in mind, I set out earlier than I had on my run this morning. I realized as I ran up the hill behind my home I had renewed the Super-Hero in me. I now could achieve the unthinkable. Uncertain of what it may be. I’m haunted to do my best.

Something always has to be done in the direction you want to go. The minute you run the other way—you’ve quit—destroying your Super-Hero.---Jody-Lynn Reicher