My Superpowers

I have thought about my real, tangible superpowers. Powers that I have developed by wrestling with my health issues. I love all superhero narratives and they usually impart moral lessons. As a child, I had a few superheroes I idealized while growing up because of their courage or their ability to do certain things.

What makes us "super"?

A superpower is described as an excessive or superior power. Superpowers are not just associated with superhuman or supernatural entities. The everyday person may have not thought about the attributes they consistently use to conquer their days, weeks, and years.

The word "super" is defined as over and above, higher in quantity, quality, or more than. I think I am going beyond the normal of a “regular" life experience. I think we have degrees of what we can experience. Some people may not need to have certain experiences, so they wouldn’t consistently pick up a specific attribute all the time. A sickle cell trait person may use different tools than someone with sickle cell disease, so to speak.

We all have different superpowers

These superpowers or attributes may come in all different forms too. Everyone will see different superpowers depending on how they see these characteristics working in their lives as practical tools. The tools I usually pick up are my sword of Strength, my heart of Courage, and my cloak of Perseverance.

Strength

I see strength as the ability to stand firm when most people don't agree with you or when your body disagrees with the day's agenda. I know how my body feels and know what it feels like when everything is normal and I need strength to get what I need to do. Over my many trials and tribulations, I had to pick up and implement the tool or sword of strength. Don’t get me wrong, some days I just don’t have the strength to wield this sword but I recognize those days. Having to deal with daily debilitating pain can only build more strength. I also need to build this power when I ask tough questions that are opposite of a particular paradigm.

Courage

Courage was implemented when I found out my diagnosis. The majority of all TV superheroes have a good reserve of courage. This doesn't mean they don't experience fear… they just transform that energy into something positive and practical.

In other words, your fear can strengthen and fuel your courage. We need the courage to ask questions to find answers for our treatments. The more I use these attributes, the more I can grow these practical tools in my life.

Perseverance

Dealing with any form of hemoglobinopathy will have you using the cloak of perseverance. Most superheroes have one but we call them caps. To wear the cloak of perseverance is to persevere in doing something despite its difficulty or delay in achieving success and I have realized nothing in this arena will come overnight. The ability to go through something regardless of its difficulty is to persevere.

What are your superpowers?

The superheroes usually go through ups and downs and then master their problem. I think this is teaching us a valuable lesson about how to live life. I have just introduced you to my superpowers and now I must ask you, what are your superpowers?