"I wish I was a superhero"

"I wish I was a superhero" said the child.

And the child grew up to be a nurse. And that nurse held the hand of the family member crying when their baby was born and when their grandmother died. And that nurse cleaned up when that person was sick and felt helpless and lost. And that nurse did everything from fluffing a pillow to providing medications to being first on the spot when the unthinkable happened. That nurse worked 12 hour shifts, holidays, weekends- missing some things with their own families to be there for others. And that nurse was a nurse even when NOT working, answering everyone's questions, gracious when someone says, "Oh, you're a nurse? Can you look at this and tell me what it is?". That nurse is always a nurse, working or not.

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"I wish I was a superhero" said the child.

And that child grew up to be a plumber. And when the new homeowners were excited to move into their own place but the pipes were leaking, that plumber helped their dream of owning their own home come true. And when the drains were plugged up right before the family reunion and they called fearing they would have to cancel and lose the chance to see family members they had lost touch with, the plumber came out on that Sunday afternoon and fixed everything. And that plumber gathered their equipment and trudged to the truck hearing that family whispering about how much the job would cost and "that plumber is so lucky, getting so much money". Pretending not to hear since the money was already spent anyway on college bills for the oldest child and medical bills for the elderly parents and the mortgage and the new roof and the car payment and maybe, just maybe, a few dollars for the retirement fund. No one thinking what it might be like if that job wasn't done- and that plumber wasn't available or no one went into plumbing anymore. 
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"I wish I was a superhero" said the child.

And that child became a teacher. A teacher who managed a classroom everyday and graded papers every night. A teacher who spent summers preparing a warm and welcoming classroom, usually without a lot of money. A teacher who tried to make each student feel special, tried to give individual attention to each with an overfilled classroom, made time for help after school, field trips, parent teacher conferences, and made a difference in so many lives...while always thinking, "Maybe I could have done more".

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"I wish I was a superhero" said the child.

And that child grew up and was a manager. And that manager juggled the needs of employees with the needs of the company. That manager tried to create schedules that allowed people time off but also covered the work to be done. That manager went to the company when the alarm went off in the middle of the night, right after Thanksgiving dinner with a quick wave to the family, and had to go to work whenever called because that's what it means to be  a manager. And that manager heard complaints from corporate above, from staff around, and from customers within. And that manager kept the doors open so people could get food and supplies they need. And that manager never thought of their job as that important or that glamorous and it was just a job, another job with too much to do and not enough pay and wondered what else they could have done with their life and didn't really think that they were open that night when that mother had two coughing children at home and needed cough medicine, or when that couple flew back from their honeymoon late at night and realized they had nothing in the house to eat and were so grateful to grab something and that person who didn't have a place to go for the holiday and simply wanted to be around others...not be alone, and so slowly walked the aisles, glad to have someplace to go. 
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"I wish I was a superhero" said the child.

And the child grew up to be an artist, even though everyone said that you can't make a living doing that. And the artist created pieces that were challenging and beautiful and thoughtful and sometimes uncomfortable. Pieces that made you think and made the ordinary extraordinary. Pieces that bridged the gap between the myriad of differences that separate us from each other and helped to stitch us back together. That artist brought vision and color and texture and movement and sound. That artist left a legacy that shared a story of who we are at that moment in time, in that place in time, and created something more lasting, more powerful, and rich as all of the arts which have defined, inspired, and taught us all throughout time. And that artist made NO money. And that artist was working side jobs here and there, and eating a lot of Ramen and drinking tap water, and was always a little behind on things, often questioning why they had to be an artist, wondering if it mattered, then finding out it does matter, then questioning all over again. And not always seeing that child looking at the artists work with shiny, awed eyes, thinking maybe that could be them someday.

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I was a superhero

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I was a superhero

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I was a superhero

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Extraordinary skills- that is part of the definition of a superhero. 

We are all superheroes. As much as we foster independence and individualism in this country, we are all pieces of a bigger thing- humanity- and we each play a crucial role in making existence the best it can be.
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So whether you know it or not, whether you feel it or not, whether others notice it or not, you are a superhero. Anyone who is working hard and being present in this life, which can be tough, stressful, crazy- that is a superhero to me. ​