I’m not the superhero I once was
I was talking to my Mom last night about the realities of our physical circumstances and I got struck by a bit of a longing. Mom just told me that she needs to keep her bone density levels in check and perhaps start consuming calcium supplements (women tend to have osteoporosis, particularly if they’ve lost much calcium with their pregnancies – my Mom had 5 boys, so she lost quite a lot).
I explained to Mom that I can’t pull all-nighters as easily as I used to when I was in undergraduate and through graduate school. I shared with her that, while I am still very energetic, and on a good day I can work anywhere between 12 and 16 hours days, my energy levels now would pale in comparison with the energy I used to have.
And that’s the crux of the matter – I’m not the superhero I once was. I saw myself, in many ways (and I do hope that people understand that this is metaphorically speaking), as invincible. Nobody had found my kryptonite, nobody knew of my weaknesses. And perhaps the most popular characteristic I have, and the one that may have lead to my increased popularity, is the one that is the most detrimental to me. For, as much as I am the Hummingbird, and I fly fast and touch many flowers throughout my day, I am the one that gets tired at incredible rates.
I’ve come to realize that, much as I would love to have endless supplies of energy (and much as it would appear as though I never run out of gas), the truth is – once I’m exhausted, and I say “I need to go. NOW”, that’s exactly what it means. Not a second, not a few minutes, not half an hour. I need to go home right there and then, and I need to rest.
Funny how our bodies tell us what we sometimes don’t seem to want to hear.
Related posts:
- Upcoming superhero movies (release schedule)
- ComicVine – A superhero database
- Being a superhero/comic nerd :) – Guest post by Jeffery Simpson
i used to be like that to. slept whenever i got around to it; sleeping a max of 5 hours a night for days and days on end was not the slightest problem. boy, the things i would get done! like getting A’s and A+s on 5 university courses while working 35 hours a week, being a single mother of two children and running a (relatively) clean, big house at the same time.
but you know what? i am saner now. i focus more and more on what’s truly important. i don’t fantasize about creative projects anymore, i DO them. most of all, i enjoy having given up the chase after being true to the image of the superwoman. fallibility is fun!
oh, yeah, and i also used no hou too spall.