Alchemy

In June, I was honored at work as RBT of the Month. One of the ways that gets celebrated is with a little poster hung on the bulletin board, which included my picture and bio, what I like about working at T&B, and--just for fun--what my super power would be if I had one. Writing your own bio always feels a little awkward, and it's a bit challenging to hit the highlights of your life and really capture the things that are important to you with just a few short sentences. I suspected the superpower question was where I was really going to get hung up, since I'm not much into superhero movies and don't think about things like that often. But before I had even finished writing my bio, a word popped into my head that seemed exactly right: Alchemy. 

In ancient times, it was the philosophical and pseudoscientific quest to turn base metals into gold. (And even though it proved not to work as hoped, it did lay the practical foundation for modern chemistry and pharmacology). In modern times it is used more figuratively to express the concept of transforming seemingly ordinary things into things of beauty and great value. This isn't a super power I just wish for. It is one I already possess...and so do you. We all have the power of transformation within us. We can take ordinary--and even unlovely--moments of our lives and transform them into something beautiful and valuable, and we can help others do the same. 

I'll admit that I sometimes forget I have this superpower, and I get stuck dwelling on the ugly, ordinary, not-so-glamourous raw materials. I struggle sometimes with feeling I am not valuable or that my life doesn't amount to much. But when I'm in a healthy state of mind, I can see the growth, the love, the joy, the peace, the light, the beauty, the way I encourage and support others, and the overall value that I have created out of challenge and heartbreak and ordinary moments, and I am amazed. That's when I understand there is surely no greater superpower than alchemy and I am truly grateful to possess it!