superheros.

My nephew William just turned four years old. His birthday theme was inevitable: Superheros. So my sister, being the talented and dedicated mother that she is, put together the absolute best Superhero themed birthday party that any four year old would dream of. See adorable photo below - he is my muse for this blog post.

Who is your favorite superhero? One that can fly? One that has fancy gadgets? Or maybe one that has superhuman strength? Speaking strictly fiction, I’ve always had a thing for Batman and a once seriously weird obsession with "Lois and Clark: The New Adventures of Superman"...anyone else? Come on...Dean Cain and Teri Hatcher...babes.

But now as an adult, I realize how completely unreasonable those plot lines and characters are. Fun, absolutely. Realistic, not so much. However, I believe there are many people in our lives who resemble the same symbol of hope, strength, and power used for good. Did someone just pop up in your head? Thought so...

Without going too deep and overly personal, I’ll just state that my superhero role models are the women in my life. Some are mothers, many are teachers, all are independently motivated by their passions. I love sharing stories with these women - sharing tears, laughter, hugs, smiles, fear - it is a bond like no other. It is exciting to see how our lives unfold as we conquer the big, bad, ugly realities that is life. My sister-in-law has demonstrated great tenacity over the past two years dealing with the loss of her child, followed by a miscarriage, but now holds in her arms a beautiful healthy baby boy and her four year old daughter. That is unconditional love.

Of course not all is challenges are negative; many adventures come with much joy. I witnessed my eight month pregnant sister demonstrate a summersault to a three old - legit - she squatted down in the grass, tucked, but thank god did not roll. That is determination. My other sister just returned from teaching yoga to an orphanage in Haiti (follow her on Instagram @gratitudeyogachicago). That is selflessness. One girlfriend is in the process of deciding whether or not graduate school is her next big career leap, while another girl friend just moved to San Francisco to start a new life with her boyfriend and a career with Apple. That is daring and bold.

As I say farewell to summer and embark upon a new school year, I will do so without fear because I have many superheros who have my back and influence my every move. I hope this year I demonstrate unconditional love, determination, and selflessness while being daring and bold. Ready or not, here I come, York. But just in case, I may have to ask William if I can borrow his cape...