I love movies. They are usually an escape for me. I lose myself in the story; I drown in the drama; I am swallowed whole by the music. For me, it's never "just a movie".
I just saw Wonder Woman for the second time this week. First with my daughter and some friends, and just now with my son. And I. Am. Overwhelmed. I'm not sure I have the words to adequately convey the powerful feelings this film evokes in me, but since I was rendered literally speechless both times I saw the movie, I had to get all my big feelings out here. (You're welcome.)
Many "girl power" movies portray men as weak imbeciles who bumble around not doing what needs to be done. So, the women are forced to roll their eyes, push up their sleeves and charge forward to do what men won't. Honestly, I find this message about men incredibly disrespectful (although, sadly, not always untrue), and it cheapens the portrayal of strength that women truly do possess.
Wonder Woman is not that movie.
Instead, what unfolded was the story of a woman who was created with a singular purpose - to protect and save the world - and whose heart burned with passion for that very goal. Her entire life was spent training in preparation for the day when she would be called into battle. This movie wasn't men versus women, which I appreciate because we weren't created to be in constant competition and battle with each other - quite the opposite, in fact. Rather, men and women on both sides fought for good or evil.
As Wonder Woman fought for not only her own life, but the lives of others, tears rained down my face, rolling damp trails off my chin, onto my chest and jeans. There's a scene (don't worry, this isn't really a spoiler alert) when she first heads into battle that is so powerful for me, all slow-motion with music swelling, that it absolutely wrecks me. She wasn't doing what men couldn't because they were weak...she was doing what only she could do, because it was what she was created for.
This movie feels very symbolic of my life right now. It starts with, "What one does when faced with the truth is more difficult than you'd think. I learned this the hard way. And now, I will never be the same."
Someone recently said to me that we are more than our beliefs. I maybe understand what she was trying to say, but I strongly disagree. We *are* our beliefs. Our beliefs dictate everything we do in life. Like Wonder Woman said, "It's not about deserve. It's about what you believe. And I believe in love."
I've talked to several friends who were powerfully affected by this movie, and we all walked out of the theater with our own takeaways. For me, this movie was a call to prepare for whatever my next battle may be. My battle will look different than yours. My training will look different, too. And that's ok. Because no matter my role, no one can fill it like I can. The same goes for you.
If you haven't seen Wonder Woman yet, I encourage you to go do that soon.
Xoxo.
