“Wonder Woman in Disguise: The Superwoman in our midst”

In my line of work as a Nurse, multitasking is one of the critical skills one must master. And in invoking this sense of possibilities in accomplishing the tasks at hand, weirdly enough I innately assume this “Wonder Woman” mode!

It is my way of psyching myself to prepare for the challenges ahead, and I do this by imagining that I am a SUPERWOMAN with superpowers who can dart her way across hospital halls and patient’s rooms, make leaps and bounds from floor to floor, carry heavy supplies, carry heavy bodies, and deal with unruly bunch of people while feeling and striking a pose like you’re Megan Fox in high-heeled red boots and a glittery curve-hugging bodysuit!

Now THAT’S what you call an encouragement boost!

And apparently, it works! Although for the record, it’s not a fool proof way of getting myself away from a little trouble here and there, but at least it drives me to keep up with the pace in doing the best that I can. Having said that, I do admit that sometimes, I get way over my head thinking that my efforts are incomparable… only to be proven wrong upon stepping across the threshold of my home and seeing the real picture behind my “ extra-ordinariness”!

Right there in the middle of the dining room is a woman far more extraordinary, more superwoman-y than I. She greets me with a smile and stands up from the chair, asking me how my day was or if I was ok. She continues on by imploring me to take a seat and rest while she bustles for something for me to eat.  I have been away from home majority of the day, but one look at her and I know she has been through a lot too.

If I have been through work labor, so did she and her labor entails dealing with cleaning, laundry, cooking, managing, feeding, planting, scrubbing, watering, debating, teaching, lecturing, comforting, grocery shopping, bills paying, diaper changing, and problem solving.

If I do work, I do it within the 8 hours shift allotted to me from which I am being paid for. This woman follows no shifting but continues on working until everyone at home has been tucked to bed… no night differential and no overtime pay.

If I get sick, I have the privilege of a leave of absence. If she gets sick, whether a flu or arthritic pains, she carries on trying to mind less of the discomfort and mind more of the people she cares about.

This woman bears the weight of her obligations, and even the weight of her loved ones’ problems.

This woman will go against all odds, endure the sting of society’s ire, and plunge herself further into the depths of a lion’s den if it means saving the ass of someone… in particular her children.

This woman survives and conquers the hustle, bustle, drama and stress of day to day living… and she does not need a flashy bodysuit or a high-heeled pair of red boots to boost her up!

This woman… is the real Superwoman… the epitome of extraordinary… the bombshell of awesomeness… the woman of many wonders… and she happens to be my Mother.

And this Wonder of a Woman is right there… right there all along, everywhere in the house, busy in her apron scrubbing a pile of pots or cleaning out fish guts. My Mother is a housewife and she already has a lot in her hands. I can only imagine how a Working Mom would handle both the demands of work and the demands of work at home.

But have we asked ourselves… how often do we see the “Wonder Woman” in our Mothers? How often do we see our Mothers with spotlights on their heads and a blazing sign saying how super they are? Is it so easy to forget, to go past the obvious and to limit ourselves to the vision of ordinariness? Day by day, we sometimes take them for granted. If we are intent on taking things on a different turn, we have the opportunity of every single day to do otherwise… to witness the reality of greatness in our home, to remember the hardships they've been through for our sake, to bask in the comfort of their love, and, better yet, to love them back.

We all have a superhero in our midst. We all have a superhero in our homes. And that superhero we've come to know as our Mothers steps out in the open to face the world… ready to save yet another day in a pair of high heels or in an apron!