Are superheroes real? 💥

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Welcome to your May issue of Nourish! My mission for this newsletter is to help you be kinder to yourself and others — and lately, I've needed that reminder like I need oxygen. With a new baby at home, every week's a lesson in flexibility and grace. Speaking of which, thank you for being here after my two-month maternity leave. I know inbox overload is real and I value your readership. Now let's jump into this month's message…

Dear reader,

I still remember it. When my son was four, he looked up at me with sky-blue eyes and asked, "Hey Mom, are superheroes real?"

At the time, Jack was fully in his Superhero Period. Gone were the Paw Patrol stuffies — now Iron Man, Hulk and Superman dominated the playroom carpet. Donning a royal blue mask and cape, our boy blazed through the house announcing, “If you’re in danger, give me a call!”

For bedtime stories, we rotated between Five-Minute Marvel Stories and a Batman storybook. My preschooler was beginning to codify fact and fiction, and so he needed to know: Are superheroes real?

"Well, yes and no,” I answered carefully. “The stories we’ve been reading about superheroes? They're make-believe. But there are heroes, real people who help their neighbors in need every day.”

Jack furrowed his brow. "So there's no Superman?"

"Not really," I said. "He's just a character."

"Aww come on!" he huffed, crossing his arms.

I felt for Jack, remembering my own disillusionment when, in elementary school, I discovered the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus were fictitious. I scooted closer to him and began rubbing small circles across his chest. "You're disappointed aren't you?" I murmured.

Jack leaned toward me and grunted affirmatively. I wanted to give him something to hold onto, some assurance that these fantastic, imperfect stories still held truth. I took a deep breath and said, “I think we love to tell stories about superheroes because, when the world feels really scary, we need to remember that goodness overcomes evil."

My son's face softened. This would be a great time to mention Jesus, I thought, then I realized I needed stick with the visible, so instead I continued, “We have nurses, pastors, teachers and firefighters, and they are all heroes because they can save lives."

Jack considered this for a moment, then said, "Is Grandma a hero?" My mom is a P.E. teacher, retiring at the end of this school year; she's helped hundreds of kids find fun in movement.

"Absolutely. She's one of the most powerful heroes because, besides being a teacher, she's also your grandma and my mommy. Parents and grandparents have a lot of power because they're responsible for helping kids grow up well."

"I wish *I* had powers," Jack fretted.

"Of course you have powers," I replied. "You're smart and caring. You can climb high at the playground and you tell great jokes. You're a good friend and include others."

"Not as cool as flying."

"Maybe not," I said, tucking him in. "But they're real, and here's the most important thing to remember: everyone has God-given abilities that are very special. What makes you a hero isn't your power — it's how you use it."

This answer seemed to satisfy my curious child, who, at that, burrowed down in his covers and requested "one more superhero story" before falling asleep.

FOREST BATHE: In the first year of the pandemic, my new walking habit brought an unexpected gift. As my endurance grew, I began exploring nearby trails, which acquainted me with the quiet beauty of the forest — greenery in every direction, knotted roots and matted leaves at my feet, the occasional white-tailed doe. Whenever I walked there, I returned home feeling refreshed and peaceful. Turns out there's a term for what I experienced: shinrin-yoku (Japanese for "forest bathing”). According to National Geographic, shinrin-yoku was created in Japan in the 1980s as an antidote to tech burnout and means of encouraging forest conservation. Rather relevant, right? This month, leave your phone at home (or silence it) and try forest bathing. Go alone or invite a friend or family members. If you don't live near a forest, a park will do. When you visit, look around (and within) and answer the question: Where am I noticing signs of growth?

EDIT EVERYTHING: I know, I know. I am the last person to discover the genius of Clea Shearer and Joanna Teplin, however, I need to tell you that I bought their book, The Home Edit, and it's changing my life. They inspired me to tidy the out-of-control playroom in our home and the results made me absolutely giddy. Their editing concept got me l thinking about what else I might want to excise from my life — annoying sales emails I want to unsubscribe from, negative thought patterns I need to release, commitments that just aren't working… Your turn! Take the editing concept and apply it to one problem area in your life and see what you might refine.

CREATION CARE: For Earth Day last month, I wrote an ode to Earth, imagining our planet as a mother. This creative venture spurred me to reflect on all the choices we make that harm creation, such as pollution. For my part, I'm working on reducing food waste by meal planning around the leftover groceries in our fridge, adding more plant-based dinners to our rotation (this vegetarian cookbook contains several favorites) and being vigilant about recycling. I'm also thinking about how to cut back on car use by batching our errands. When I stayed at Holden Village years ago, one of their community mantras was "Reforming our relationship with Earth." What changes — small and large — might you make to reform your relationship with creation?

EMBODY PEACE: In this piece for Living Lutheran, Pastor Kimberly Knowle-Zeller offers parents comfort as they navigate conversations and worry about war in Ukraine and beyond. She asserts that though it seems inconsequential in the face of brokenness, praying, listening to neighbors, loving your children and practicing forgiveness matter. "I believe in the God who came into this world as a baby amid the muck and mess of life, I must also believe that the places to start bringing hope and healing into the world are precisely the places where I find myself: in my home, with my family, in conversation with those who think or believe differently from me," she writes.

Books I'm loving:

The Highly Sensitive Child by Elaine Aron is giving me much needed encouragement as I raise my strong-willed yet sensitive firstborn. Part pep-talk, part tactical guide, Aron's deep dive on the strengths and challenges of highly sensitive children may be for you if your child(ren) present traits from this Psychology Today article.
I Guess I Haven’t Learned that Yet by Shauna Niequist - I've been a Shauna fan since her early days, so I was quite excited to dive into this essay collection, finishing it quickly. Although the beginning of the book left me wanting more vulnerability from its author, the latter half presented lovely revelations on enchantment and beauty, including a stunning piece about walking the streets of NYC in a bright pink dress. Shauna is a master storyteller, and I definitely underlined and dog-eared this book of hers and placed it on my desk for continued study and enjoyment.

Some things I wrote:

Other pieces I read and loved:

I cannot stop thinking about this Humans of New York series on the power of teachers and spaces where minds can truly meet.

"Whenever God says 'no,' give thanks. Then start watching and digging for the deeper 'yes.'"

This essay on mental health and surrender is exceptional.

"My god,/
I thought, my whole life I’ve been under her/
raincoat thinking it was somehow a marvel/
that I never got wet."

This May, I hope you honor the superheroes in your midst — teachers and therapists, parents and pastors, nurses and firefighters — really, anyone who's positively influenced on your life. Maybe you'll take a forest bath and while you're there, say a prayer for peace. Most of all, I hope you celebrate your superpowers, and use them to make the world a little more beautiful.

Grace and peace,
Erin

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"Love yourself.
Then forget it.
Then, love the world."
—Mary Oliver