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A fake letter from Superman about the very real struggle we all face when we love someone.

If Superman had the heart of a poet, I imagine he'd write like this. This may get nerdy, but if you stick around to the video toward the bottom, you'll see something really awesome, I promise.

When you think of Superman, what comes to mind?

For me, this image is burrowed in my head.

Classy hero, am I right?

He's brave. He's humble. He's patient. He's noble. He's helpful. He's basically a perfect hero.

He reminds us of our potential.

He gives us hope.

And what is his biggest weakness?

Arbitrary plot device of doom! Via "Superman: The Movie."

No. It's not kryptonite. That's too easy.

Kryptonite is basically a lazy way for writers to find a way to make him look like he has a chance to lose. There's nothing special about it. None of us gets magically weakened by rocks.

His weakness is far more human than some green rock.

That's not why we relate to him. No, his weakness is far more substantive.

In "Superman: The Movie," he lost his temper.

So, Mr. Perfect isn't as calm as we thought. Via Giphy.

Why? Because Lois Lane died. He let his emotions get the best of him. He spun the earth backward on it's axis to reverse time he was so angry. He cheated death for selfish reasons.

In "Superman III," he gets really depressed and goes on a drinking binge.

Superman can fly but can't handle his liquor? Via Giphy.

Why? The pressure of humans relying on him got to be too much. He didn't want to disappoint them. So, he did what any human would do and wallowed in self-pity for a while. And then, he acted out. Like many of us would. (Don't ever watch this movie. You'll thank me later.)

What if you had to choose between saving the world and saving the person you love?

When it comes time to choose, Superman is just like the rest of us. Imagine if Superman didn't bottle all that up. Imagine if he shared his vulnerability and said what he really felt. It'd probably sound like this:


Heart. Punch.

Hurts, right? Via Tumblr.

It's his humanity that is his greatest weakness.

But, you know what?

It is also his greatest strength.

Shane Koyczan, the amazing poet behind this and other really powerful poems, had this to say about the poem on his YouTube page (emphasis mine):

"I grew up in the era where Clark Kent still couldn't tell Lois Lane how he felt about her. I liked that era. I liked that I could find an equality in our inability to tell those we love how deeply we feel for them ... it made me feel that I was somehow on par with Superman... I liked the idea that Clark Kent might be scared of rejection...

I have no delusions about being anyone's Superman ... it's always terrifying to put your heart out there... There's never any guarantee that your heart will be accepted ... let alone returned in working order, but I'll risk the hurt for the right person and I'm hoping I've found her.


Pictured here: You being unafraid of rejection. The guy in black is your fear of rejection. It's a cheap metaphor, I know, but I spent all my metaphor money trying to convince my wife to like me. It paid off. Via Giphy.

Don't let rejection be your kryptonite. Grab your courage and say something.

Everyone has been, or will be, in that same position at some point. Risk the hurt. Find them.

Joy

Man uses TikTok to offer 'dinner with dad' to any kid that needs one, even adult ones

Summer Clayton is the father of 2.4 million kids and he couldn’t be more proud.

TikTok

Come for the food, stay for the wholesomeness.

Summer Clayton is the father of 2.4 million kids and he couldn’t be more proud. His TikTok channel is dedicated to giving people intimate conversations they might long to have with their own father, but can’t. The most popular is his “Dinner With Dad” segment.

The concept is simple: Clayton, aka Dad, always sets down two plates of food. He always tells you what’s for dinner. He always blesses the food. He always checks in with how you’re doing.

I stress the stability here, because as someone who grew up with a less-than-stable relationship with their parents, it stood out immediately. I found myself breathing a sigh of relief at Clayton’s consistency. I also noticed the immediate emotional connection created just by being asked, “How was your day?” According to relationship coach and couples counselor Don Olund, these two elements—stability and connection—are fundamental cravings that children have of their parents. Perhaps we never really stop needing it from them.


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Health

You're not going crazy. ADHD meds don't work while you're on your period

Photo by Jonathan Borba on Unsplash

woman laying on bed

I was diagnosed with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Inattentive Type about three years ago—I was a fully functioning adult, married with children before finding out that my brain worked a bit differently. Of course I've known that I functioned a bit differently than my friends since childhood. The signs were there early on, but in the '80s diagnosing a girl with ADHD just wasn’t a thing that happened.

Much of the early criteria for ADHD was written based on how it presented in males, more specifically, white male children, and I was neither. Women like me are being diagnosed more and more lately and it’s likely because social media has connected us in a way that was lacking pre- doom scrolling days.

With the help of social media, women can connect with others who share the same symptoms that were once a source of shame. They can learn what testing to ask for and how to advocate for themselves while having an army of supporters that you’ve never met to encourage you along the way. A lot of women that are diagnosed later in life don’t want medication, they just want an answer. Finally having an answer is what nearly brought me to tears. I wasn’t lazy and forgetful because I didn’t care. I had a neurological disorder that severely impacted my ability to pay attention to detail and organize tasks from most important to least. Just having the answer was a game changer, but hearing that untreated ADHD can cause unchecked anxiety, which I had in spades, I decided to listen to my doctor and give medication a try.

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Pop Culture

5-year-old Italian piano prodigy rocks Mozart at international competition and holy cow

Pianoforte/Facebook

Alberto Cartuccia Cingolani wows audiences with his amazing musical talents.

Mozart was known for his musical talent at a young age, playing the harpsichord at age 4 and writing original compositions at age 5. So perhaps it's fitting that a video of 5-year-old piano prodigy Alberto Cartuccia Cingolani playing Mozart has gone viral as people marvel at his musical abilities.

Alberto's legs can't even reach the pedals, but that doesn't stop his little hands from flying expertly over the keys as incredible music pours out of the piano at the 10th International Musical Competition "Città di Penne" in Italy. Even if you've seen young musicians play impressively, it's hard not to have your jaw drop at this one. Sometimes a kid comes along who just clearly has a gift.

Of course, that gift has been helped along by two professional musician parents. But no amount of teaching can create an ability like this.

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