It isn’t often that I walk out of a movie feeling the need to do kickboxing moves that I don’t even know how to do, but I sure did this evening after seeing the movie, “Scott Pilgrim vs. The World”. It was a totally unexpected surprise for me. So many times when everyone is saying that a movie is good, I just don’t experience it that way. But I trust Michael Cera and even Jason Schwartzman for that matter. Such an innovative and fun movie. And I did some mean kickboxing moves on the way back to our car, even if I don’t know how to do them properly. I felt good. POW!! Take that evil nemesis.

Maybe that’s what we’re missing right now as the world falls apart to fall back together again with everything changing and growing and evolving. We’re missing our pretend capes and our long blue leotards so that we feel like we can take on whatever life throws in our direction. We’ve forgotten how to do some really good pratfalls when life gives us a sucker punch to the jaw. When my brother Howdy (yes, that is his name) was 8, he went through a phase where he played “Dan August” who was a stunt guy. Howdy would come running down the hallway as fast as his little skinny legs could run while yelling at the top of his lungs and dive on the couch and over the couch, rolling on the floor and bounce up on his feet ready to take on any bad guys in the vicinity. He also used to do stunts when we’d go water skiing and Dad would get tired of us staying up on the skis for ever so he’d start taking the boat into circles. Howdy would hold on for dear life and then finally ski outside of the wake going ninety-to-nothing, let go of the roap and do a couple of cartwheels into the water. Always the entertainer.

Where are our heroes when you need them? There inside of us just waiting for us to break ’em out.

Next time life throws you off balance, remember the hero who lives inside of you. What special talents do you have to unleash upon the world?