Symbol of Hope
Posted by jennifer gibson on Sunday, February 11, 2018 Under: Feb 2018
As the snow continues to fall outside during another winter storm, I’ve been spending time on Pinterest looking for new Supergirl wallpapers to use on my tablet. Yes, I’ll admit that I love that show, for so many personal reasons. I think it’s because I can relate to her. As someone with a hearing loss, I’m always searching for inspiration, someone to look up to and I find that she is a great choice.
Even though Supergirl is incredibly strong, fearless and determined to help others, she can be equally as vulnerable as the rest of us. I love how she tries to succeed as a reporter during the day, finding joy and excitement through her assignments. Her youthful energy and optimism shines through her like a shining star. It’s so inspiring and contagious that I can’t help but cheer for her.
I also appreciate and understand her weaknesses, especially as Kara, who’s struggling to balance her emotions and human experiences. She falls apart when everything gets to be too much, particularly when it feels like she has failed in her duty to stay strong and confident.
There have been many moments when she tried to maintain a relationship and struggled to hold on to it. She has had days when she would be falling to pieces, feeling out of place and lost, or missing her mother. That’s one of the reasons why I connected with her, especially since my mother died last year. There have been so many parallels between her life and mine, that it allowed me to empathize with her. Plus, I loved her relationship with Mon-el, those two were a super adorable couple.
Kara’s journey as a journalist motivates me to keep searching for jobs, she is giving me the courage to keep going in order to find out where I fit in the society. As Supergirl, she gives me hope that even though I may stumble and fall, I can rise up and try again with renewed determination. Like her, living with a hearing loss has given me the strength to stand up for my rights, and be more vocal about my invisible disability so that others may learn from it in a positive light. She feels strongly about making a difference in the world and that's exactly how I feel too.
Ironically, I’m really feeling my age these as I scroll through the job postings and realizing how outdated my skills are in today’s rapidly evolving job market. It has become apparent that the world of technology has exploded to new heights and I’m scrambling to catch up. On top of that, finding a new place to live that I can afford, seems unreachable. My dream home is Kara’s loft and I would love to have an apartment like hers.
It times like this where I turn to Supergirl for solace and guidance, where I don’t feel so alone, and a reminder that she struggled to find her niche. To me, both Kara and Supergirl, help me stay focused so that I can be true to myself. There is a little bit of me in them, while we may seem strong on the outside, we can be emotionally fragile on the inside. We may fall to pieces, mend our broken hearts, and do some soul searching, but in the end, we learn more about ourselves as we continue to evolve.
When we look back on our success and failures, we discover how far we’ve come and realize how much we have changed. In many ways, Supergirl is a reflection of me, and represents a symbol of hope and inspiration so that I can continue to grow.
In : Feb 2018
Tags: supergirl hope inspiration "hearing loss"