Finding the Hero

A few days ago I walked into my bedroom to find "Underdog" playing on TV. I chuckled to myself as I thought about how somehow there is something magical about the master bedroom for kids. Something completely different about laying in the king sized bed and watching TV instead of the giant TV in the family room. I remember doing the same in my parents' room. I chose the little black and white for the chance to lay on the king sized waterbed over the pre remote era color Zenith that sat firmly on the multi shaded brown shag carpet in the family room. That thing was probably 4 million pounds. Somehow being in that bedroom made me feel more important. Nonetheless, it got me thinking about superheroes . The transformation of a mild mannered, nearly invisible person to an epic crime fighter performing physical feats.  We all love that story and have heard it in many varieties. It is the stuff of blockbuster movies.

On this fitness journey I guess you could say I was the underdog. Decades of obesity and epic fails with my own health. There are many others like me out there. The Shoeshine Boys, Clark Kents and Peter Parkers of our time. The unassuming nerds that never seemed like they could go places. Some of us keep ourselves in that place, believing the voices in our heads that start with,"I can't..." while others learn to take off the obligatory white button down shirt and discover the superhero like insignia on our chests. I suppose if I could figure out a magical formula to give to people to be able to easily make that leap I would be a millionaire. Maybe Peter Parker could send me the magical spider that transformed his world.....

For me, it has been learning what I was actually capable of versus what I thought I was capable of. In my world that came from a variety of sources. Friends who had traveled this road and trainers who I originally thought were nuts with how confident they were in my abilities. Little by little my figurative white shirt began to open up to reveal there was a higher caliber of person underneath, capable of so much more.  I may not leap tall buildings or swing from a web but I learned I can climb 10 foot walls and cross some cool monkey bars without falling into a pit of mud. The funny thing is I could not do that when the same style bars were on the playground at my grade school, or maybe it was just I had no idea I could.  Each muddy challenge, every bump and bruise and even the shear terror of some of the challenges have begun to help me find the best version of myself.

So if I could open up that shirt to reveal my superhero chest what would it be?  As a true child of the 80's I suppose it would be a Linda Carter style Wonder Woman ensemble, however, sadly the good people of Victoria's Secret have not busted into the superhero fashion world, which to be fair, is probably more a blessing than a curse. If they had I may end up the cover page of the people of Wal Mart.

Nonetheless, learning to not settle for mild mannered persona, somehow not capable of more has been a journey. One I am still working on. There are still the days I need to take myself back, lay in my own king sized bed, watching the smaller TV and finding my own importance just like the kids. I am only grateful now to not have the tiny black and white with rabbit ears.