Month: April 2018

Everyday Heroes, Heroes Everyday

/ Shawn Chase / 3 Comments

National Pharmacist Day occurs annually on January 12th.  You can find a good buddy and celebrate National Shower With a Friend Day on the 5th of February.  Grab your earplugs and ring in the Day of the Gong on June 21st.  Like tacos?  Then October 4th is the day for you.  How ridiculous is it that National Absurdity Day falls on November 20th?  It seems there is a day to celebrate everything, including superheroes.

Each year, April 28th is the day designated for paying tribute to the action stars of television, movies and comic books.  The Flash, Superman, Wonder Woman and Black Panther may all be able to inspire our imaginations and humanity, yet those are not the superheroes I will be celebrating on April 28th.

Senile old man sitting outdoor in superhero costume

Copyright: ljsphotography

We all know about superheroes.  Their mission is to assist those in need and make the world a better place to live without seeking the limelight.  People with these characteristics are around me everyday.  For example, my trusted friends who simply listen, provide support and help me to find my own inner strength in times of despair are endowed with superpowers.  The neighbors who noticed my mailbox had fallen over and put it back up one evening without even telling me are superheroes.  The stranger who paused longer than necessary to hold a door open for me when I was having a particularly bad day – she is a superhero.  All of my boot camp buddies who give every possible ounce of effort during a grueling workout have superpowers of inspiration.  The one I kiss goodbye each weekday as I leave for work – a superhero with powers that only I understand and benefit from every day.

One of my many personal superheroes inspired this poem.  Sorry Catwoman and Green Lantern, but I will be celebrating him and all of the other amazing people I am so very lucky to have in my life on National Superhero Day.

Superhero

Shifting Sands

/ Shawn Chase / Leave a comment

Dealing with change is a major challenge for me.  Continuing to move forward when routines and schedules are in flux may be my biggest weakness.  While processing a period of change, imagery of a flowing river carrying particles toward its terminus came to mind.  All the gathered bits of earth travel along, like sand flowing in an hourglass, and are eventually deposited to create something new at the delta.

IDL TIFF file

Mississippi River Delta.  Credit: Nasa Images

A eureka moment happened when it occurred to me that delta is also the symbol used to represent change in an equation.  The recognition of multiple meanings for words like ‘delta’ and ‘current’ was intriguing.  Sand represented both the passage of time and parts of my routines that were changing.  New land is created at the terminus of a river, just like the grains of my life were shifting to eventually create new routines.

Writing this poem helped me get through that time of change.  I realized change occurs with breakdown of status quo but also creates something new and fertile.

Let’s take a ride on the river together.

River. Delta.