In Which I Reveal My Superhero Alter Ego

I think the world is ready to know the truth. I Am Danger Girl.

What is my superpower, you ask? Well, that’s kind of a personal question, but I’ll allow it. My superpower is, quite simply, to put myself in danger, or occasionally to put others in danger. I didn’t say it was a great superpower, but it works for me. I was given the title by my husband early in our relationship. I don’t remember the specifics, but I’m sure it happened while we were walking. I am a bit of a public hazard when walking, especially when walking and talking. Talking, in my book, requires both enthusiastic arm and hand motions as well as near-constant eye contact, and this does not always work well when walking and say, crossing a street. Or walking through a crowd. Or shopping near elderly people. I’m just saying.

Especially since at my 4’11” height I stop below eye level for many people, so they don’t even notice the almost-midget involved in the enthusiastic full-body retelling of last night’s Modern Family episode until I’ve plowed into their sternum.

There is a corollary to the physical aspects of my superhero powers of Danger that relate to my optimistic embrace of Adventure That is Not Burdened With Tedious Planning.  I believe such Adventures should be frequent and fabulous, and my more restrained family members fall somewhere closer to infrequent and small-with-no-possibility-of-disaster. Side trips, road trips, heading down roads that are only sort of on the map and have weird warning symbols? Bring it on! Hey, let’s go downtown to the Croatian Festival and sample new foods! Hey, let’s foster a litter of kittens! Bring. It. On.

I Am Danger Girl.

Somehow, though I’ve not publicly revealed this alter ego before today, I think others may have figured it out. The dance class I take at the gym, for instance. I’ve noticed that no matter how crowded the class, I am given a wide and respectful berth as we power through the samba, hip hop and disco numbers. Lovely, really, how….respectful they all are.

My family, of course, has long known of my alter ego and my superpowers. I have only but to utter the words “I have a great idea, let’s….” and there are pre-emptive groans and looks of concern all around. But they know the good side of my superpowers – life is often more fun and more rewarding. (For the purposes of legal accuracy, about 7.43% of the time, Life with Danger Girl can be utterly disastrous. But those are good odds, right?)

My confidence in my alter ego was significantly strengthened this February. The keynote speaker for our church women’s retreat was Susanna Foth Aughtmon, who is herself the Tired Supergirl and author of funny books you should read: “All I need is Jesus and a good pair of jeans” and “My bangs look good, and other lies I tell myself”. She helped me see that following my own superhero path could be a righteous one as well as one full of adventure.

Need more convincing of the benefits of Adventure? None other than Facebook CEO Larry Page is quoted in April’s Wired magazine as saying “Even if you fail at your ambitious thing, it’s very hard to fail completely. That’s the thing that people don’t get.”

I try to think about it like this, see. I’m like Po, the Kung Fu Panda. As one movie reviewer put it, Po discovers that his greatest weakness – his oversize belly – is his greatest strength. (I of course am referencing my penchant for Adventure, and not my possibly oversize belly.)

It’s all kind of like me right now, stepping out in faith into this new Adventure of blogging and professional speaking. That’s right – me, Larry Page, and Kung Fu Panda.

Oh, and the One who protects me faithfully along the way.

“Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you preserve my life; you stretch out your hand against the anger of my foes, with your right hand you save me.” Psalm 138:7, NIV

“Don’t be afraid, I’ve redeemed you. I’ve called your name. You’re mine. When you’re in over your head, I’ll be there with you.  When you’re in rough waters, you will not go down. When you’re between a rock and a hard place,  it won’t be a dead end—Because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior.” Isaiah 43: 1-2, The Message