Superpower #20: Strength

I don’t know how I have gotten through 19 tributes to your vast array of superpowers without mentioning your strength. You are indeed exceptionally strong and always have been. Although I hope many of your superpowers are at least somewhat attributable to me and my genes and parenting, this is one that I must lie squarely on your dad’s side of the tally sheet. He, too, is exceptionally physically strong—a fact that he seems utterly unaware and unappreciative of, as do you. I’ve noticed that people tend to have limited appreciation for whatever they are the most naturally and often extraordinarily gifted at, and your dad’s strength is one of these. I think it is true for you as well.

But you really are quite strong. When you were a toddler, we were always pulling you off countertops and tables. I’ve already told the story of the trampoline and swimming lessons in praise of other superpowers, but these evidence your super strength as well. In middle school, I recall a particular sunny afternoon at the lake when you were lounging on the “Maui mat” (a sort of large, floating cross between a raft and a gymnastics mat). Your dad came bounding down the stairs radiating his signature high energy and asked his oft-repeated request, “Anybody want to wrestle?” I glanced up at my book to give him my usual side-eyed response to this question (I once asked him, “Have I ever said yes to that question? Like, ever?” I do not possess exceptional strength and have no chance of even holding my own in a wrestling match with him, despite my equivalent size). You, on the other hand, with your customary breezy agreeableness responded with a cheerful, “Sure!” He eagerly jumped onto the mat with you and the two of you began to wrestle.

It is well known that I despise these highly physical (bordering on violent) ways of playing that your dad just adores. I always worried about how little restraint he showed in his roughhousing when you were babies and toddlers. Someone always ended up crying, something often ended up broken, and I just feel that the cost to benefit ratio on this activity is rarely worth it. On this day, however, you were nearly fully grown and, as has been documented previously, you were always on the sturdier, plumper side of middle schoolers.

The objective of this particular wrestling match was to push your opponent off the mat and into the water. I watched with surprise (and, I must admit, delight) as you proceeded to hold your own. Despite his increasingly aggressive attempts, you were very nearly immovable. You didn’t make much progress on pushing him off the mat, but he wasn’t making as much progress as I had expected either. You are so strong.

But so is he. Ultimately, he managed to haul you off the mat and into the water, but he confessed to me later that he was surprised how difficult it was. For a fairly large, exceptionally strong grown man to struggle, even momentarily, in a wrestling match with a middle school girl is an enormous testament to how strong you naturally are. It’s one of your superpowers for sure.

You are able to leverage this superpower in constant ways throughout your daily life. Obviously it has been a huge advantage in your athletic career. Your freshman year, I remember watching you break a school record in rebounding when you pulled down 17 boards in one of your first ever high school games. It was quite a feat, and no doubt a testament to your superior strength. A few years later, an opponent was overheard telling her teammate, “Have you ever tried to rebound against Claire? It’s, like, impossible.” Indeed, watching you rip rebounds out of the air and then shake off opponents like they are no more than pesky gnats is quite awesome to see.

Beyond the athletic fields, your strength is also evident around the house. You are the first person I call when your dad asks me to move furniture. In spite of spending 2-3 days a week in the weight room over the last decade or so, I’m still only a fraction as strong as you. It’s your birthright (on your dad’s side) and one I hope you always remember to appreciate (and use to move furniture for me when your dad asks for help).

As I reach the end of these essays for you, I find that I want to use the same anecdotes over and over to illustrate different superpowers. I want to write about the night we cried over learning how to lead your team as a freshman as evidence of your emotional and psychological strength, but the story has been told. Suffice it to say, you are strong in every way, not the least of which is your powerful young body.

Strength is a quintessential power for superheroes, and I hope you always remember to use it, not only to serve and protect your own life and interests, but also those around you. You may not appreciate being strong for the superpower that it is, but others may need you to lend them your strength over the years. I know you will be generous with that gift as you are with all the others.