Holding Out for a Hero

I made a couple friends go to the midnight showing of Avengers with me. They were really good sports  about it because they both have full time jobs and had to get up early the next morning, not to mention I made them dress up because I wanted to go as Black Widow.

Me with Jake and Matt, my marketing buddies.

I've never had this problem before, but because the movie was so great and I hadn't really slept well the night before, I started dreaming about the movie. Specifically, I had a dream that I was going to be the next leading lady in Captain America and I got to be his girlfriend. It was a GOOD dream. :) 

So now I'm just a little obsessed with Captain America. I might have pinned 24 pictures of him on Pinterest at one time... that's a little embarrassing. But I started thinking about if there was any deeper meaning behind the dream: what is so appealing about superheroes? More specifically, why was my subconscious so attracted to Captain America when I really hadn't picked a favorite Avenger? 

Let's start with Captain America: 

• He's old-fashioned. He knows how to treat a girl right, just a simple kiss and a request for a dance. 
• He's humble. He started out as a small kid with a good heart. When he got super-sized by Stark, his heart only got bigger. 
• He knows the difference between right and wrong, good and evil. He's not afraid to fight for good, even when he's not told to. 
• Lastly, I think this picture sums it up.  

The exact quote from the Avengers is: 

Natasha Romanoff: [discussing attacking Loki] But he's a god! 

Steve Rogers: Ma'am, there's only one God, and I'm pretty sure he doesn't dress like that. 

There you have it. The over-arching quality that makes Captain America the best Avenger hands down. Notice how I didn't even mention his rippling pectorals? While those are mighty nice to look at, that's not what matters most! 

 Now superheroes in general: 

• They represent the best qualities of human nature. That good will always prevail over evil. 
• They protect us from danger and keep us safe from dangers we don't even know about. 
• Usually, they keep their identity secret (the obvious exception being IronMan who blurted it to the world). This shows humility and not needing recognition for doing good. 
• Lastly, they are role models. They help people. Don't we all at some point want a career where we can "help people"? 

This is the cover of the famous song "Holding Out for a Hero" that I enjoy much more than the original. It was featured in the 2011 version of Footloose, and it is so full of longing, so heart-wrenching that I just had to buy it. 

I'm holding out for a hero. Not a superhero per say. He doesn't need super powers to win me over. He just needs to be an everyday hero, and someday be my personal hero and our children's superhero dad. That's all really.