What’s Your Super Power?

Wonder Worry. Super Hero or Villain in Disguise?

In my family we have a tradition of taking each others' idiosyncrasies and turning them into a badge of infamy known as your super power.  For example, my best friend is Captain Cheap because no matter what it is, she swears it costs too much.  My husband is known as The Number Cruncher because for him, in the end, everything can be broken down into an Excel spreadsheet.  And me, my super power alter-ego is Wonder Worry, because no matter how minor the problem, I can turn it into a potential disaster of apocalyptic proportions in 2.5 seconds flat.  

Now, I thought I had hung up my cape a good five years ago.  My friends had even started referring to Wonder Worry in the past tense.  But with the book release less than 6 weeks away, Wonder Worry is back in full effect, leaping from small setbacks to predictions of impending doom in a single bound.  In fact, I had my first mini-panic attack about 2 weeks ago…over a 4 out of 5 star review for my book.  Instead of being thrilled that someone liked it (or even read it), Wonder Worry immediately started spinning around the room in a tizzy. “What’s wrong with the story?” she cried hysterically.  “They didn’t like it!  I’m missing a STAR!”

Because the reviewer had rated the story with a note in the comment section that read “Review to Come,” Wonder Worry decided that could only mean one thing….the upcoming review would be a scathing rejection.  Faster than Carl Lewis in a 100 meter dash, I began constructing multiple reviews that all started with “This story didn’t suck too bad…” It took my 13 month old daughter’s look of delighted apathy to get me off the ledge.

With 2-weeks worth of distance between me and my meltdown, I am slowly wrestling Wonder Worry back into retirement by remembering that I don’t have to focus on the one star that isn’t there.  I can chose to focus on the 4 stars that are out there shining brightly as a testament to the fact that my story doesn’t suck and that someone besides me may actually like it.   I know I’ve got other super powers somewhere in here, I just need to find a new pair of tights.

So what’s your super power?  Is it lifting you up or weighing you down?

If you’re out there, thanks for reading!

~ Cerece