I figured I would start my Angela Jane’s New Mourning Photography blog with my origin story. Then, I thought, “Aren’t origin stories just for superheroes (and villains)?” That brought me to “how does mourning connect to superheroes' origin stories?” Thus, we have the Angela Jane’s New Mourning Photography first blog titled Mourning & Superheroes. I have no idea where this will lead, but if you’re up to it, put on your superhero capes and let’s take this epic (smile) journey together.
Superheroes Mourn
Discovering superpowers
Starting a business is hard (at least in my very limited experience). I wonder if it’s as difficult as becoming a superhero.
Superheroes don’t often choose to become super or heroic. They lose someone or something vitally important to them. Then, they grieve that loss, which leads them to discover superpowers. Superheroes often struggle with deciding what is right and what is wrong. They mourn some more. They develop their powers. They sometimes lament “why me?”
They think they are not worthy ... of being a hero, of having superpowers, of being who they really are and of serving their lives’ purposes.
Superheroes’ struggles are real no matter what others think. (e.g., My life would be perfect if I had that superpower.) Their mourning doesn’t necessarily look like other superheroes’ mourning, yet we all recognize the pain of loss when we see it in them. That mourning of loss can feel the same on the inside, but it doesn’t look the same for everyone on the outside. If it did, all our superheroes would be the same – we would have just Batmans or just Supermans.
Toasting Bagels
Swallowed up by grief
That’s how we are, right? We all feel the pain of loss, yet how different our grief and mourning look on the outside! We all aren’t just Batman or just Superman. Some of us suffer silently behind closed doors ... to the outer world, we look fine, but we all know how deceiving looks can be.
Some of us wail loudly and frequently ... and that is so difficult to watch (some of us even close our eyes when we are witnesses to out-loud grief). Some of us are ignoring our grief or burying it so deeply that it might never see the light of day during this lifetime.
Others of us have no patience for anyone or anything. We say, “Don’t get in our way” because we’ve not got it in us any more to suffer fools.
Sometimes, for all of us, no matter how we grieve, it is just dang difficult to get out of bed, toast a bagel and keep on living. We all are superheroes, and we all do have superpowers. But, sometimes we are so swallowed up in our grief and our mourning that we have no way to see who we are now or what those powers are.
Our Superpowers
We will still mourn.
Wherever you are right now, whatever you are feeling right now, please take several (as many as you need) deep breaths. Exhale slowly each time. Then, ask yourself, “What are my superpowers?”
Asking this question won’t take away our grief. We will still mourn. But, perhaps if we ask that question, will the answers lead us to how we can help others? Will the question lead us to our life’s purpose (if we haven’t already understood it)?
Maybe we aren’t ready to be a superhero yet and the question is too soon for us. That’s OK. We have the right to give ourselves the permission to take this journey of mourning at our own pace in our own way.
Maybe we are ready to (re)discover our superpowers. If we are, we then must ask ourselves, “What’s my next step?”
Sending you energy to find ease of being and your superpowers,
Angela Jane
Disclaimer: I am just a regular human being, not an expert of any kind. The thoughts I share here are not intended to be used as professional advice. Please seek professional assistance from an appropriate healthcare provider if you are experiencing any mental or physical health issues.