Superwoman meets the real world.

I'm Superwoman.  I know I am.  My little boy tells me so: "Superhero Mama" he calls me.   I work a full time job, hold a relationship together, raise a child, make art, write, teach, and design art education programs.  When I listen carefully, i can hear the words you don't say.  When I speak carefully, I can say the words you need to hear.  I get up at four in the morning to go to my job.  I take fifteen minutes of quiet time with a cup of coffee, a cigarette and my computer before I start running around for my day.  I refuse to even begin the list of all I have to accomplish in one day until I've had those fifteen minutes.  Without them, I might as well forgo the superhero cape because I'm just a girl with too much to do.  Those moments of time to center and be still are what allow me to then tackle the rest of the world with a SuperHero mentality.  You ever here Batman say "I can't?"  Yeah, me either.  Because you never get anything done with those words.  I'm not saying that there's nothing I can't do, but I'd like to prove that first, before I refuse to even attempt something.  I'm not ashamed of my failures:  I've learned a lot from them... and my scars identify the places I've been, the battles I've fought, and the things I've lost or gained along the way.  Being a SuperHero is just making the choice, to get up and put on the spandex, everyday.  And let me tell you, at 42, spandex doesn't wear as well on me as it used to.  But here's the thing about being a Super Hero.  It takes  alot of work.  It takes a lot of energy.  And it takes a lot faith.  You have to know your weakness-- your fatal flaw.  Every super hero has one (can we all say Kryptonite?) and for me it is really simple:  it's the word "yes".  I deal with the world by saying "yes, I can," and sometimes the answer really needs to be "No, I'm not able to take that on right now."  Or "No, that doesn't meet my needs."  But as a Super Hero, I believe that I can.  so I do... and do, and do and do until the exhaustion of realizing that there is always something else to do sets in.  And then... oh boy... That spandex feels like it really doesn't fit.  That I'm just my four year old with a bath towel around my neck saying "woohoo, look at me, I'm superhero Seamus and I can fly."   
What it is though, is that we get so good at busy, at meeting needs, schedules, deadlines, demands, that we forget that the art of being a good super hero is having an alter ego.   And that's where I come in... me.  Planet Kaere... in a beat up pair of Vera Wang jeans that fit me like they were made for me (and my first pair of jeans in a size 10 instead of a 12 :), and a tank top that feels good against my skin, bare feet and hair down.  Me... I still work a full time job, still hold a relationship together, still raise a child, make art, write, teach... all those things... but I do it every day because here on Planet Kaere, sometimes a girl is just a girl.  And sometimes it's time to just shrug your shoulders and say "the world will get along just fine without me."   Because... you know what.  It will.  If I don't put the dishes in the sink... the counter isn't going to collapse.  If I don't finish every project on my list today, the world isn't going to grind to a screeching life threatening halt.   Because as just a girl... I give myself more permission to attempt, instead of the pressure to succeed.  I love a good Save The Day as much as the next guy, but sometimes, just plain Survive The Day is the best I've got...  and you know what... That makes me a superhero, too-- just as my alter ego.  And I've got to say... that whether it's spandex or blue jeans... making the attempt every day is pretty fabulous.


Don't forget: you can join me for  Burn This Book, beginning October 7th or Planet You anytime this month.  For more information about either course, you can always contact me directly at admin@theplanetyou.com. or leave a comment here.  Join my newsletter for updates on journal writing workshops, special sales at the shop, and discounts and promotions on my workshops.

Make something beautiful with your heart and your hands,
Kaere