Being Invincible Together

I was in the grocery store this weekend and saw a woman pushing two little boys in a shopping cart. One sat in the actual seat section, the other in the main part of the cart. As they rolled by me, the woman asked, “How are you guys doing?”

As if this was their cue, both boys raised their fists victoriously into the air. The little boy in the front of the cart took it a step further, shouting one simple sentence:

“We are invincible!”

He then high-fived the boy in the back of the cart.

The woman paused for a second, then started laughing, said “That’s good,” and kept on moving down the isle.

Now, I don’t know if the power of riding in a grocery chariot of their very own was going to their head. Maybe there had been a number of things in their Sunday that bolstered their feelings of being unbeatable, leading to that one perfect moment. Or perhaps, it was the simple fact that they were together.

I am certainly a fan of the stalwart heroes and heroines who must travel their path alone, but I have to admit I’m a real sucker for stories of teams. They don’t have to start off as teams, but by the end the disparate group of individuals finds a way to come together and is stronger for it.

I mentioned last week my love of the Star Wars X-Wing series. This is why. As individuals, each of the characters in these stories are interesting and flawed. They could probably each carry their own story. And that’s great, but as a group they're unbeatable.

There are a lot of examples of this. The crew of Serenity, the Avengers, Five-0, the Animorphs, the Planeteers (I mean, what are all the natural elements without a little heart, am I right?), this list just goes on and on. All filled with awesome individuals, all better when viewed as a team.

Stories where an individual saves the day on their own are great and awe-inspiring, but they’re not always relatable. (I know, “relatable” sounds a little weird when most of my examples have to do with interspecies air forces and extraterrestrial emergencies, but, bear with me.) Odds are very few of us get through the bad times of our lives all alone. I know I haven’t. And this leaves me partial to the stories that show the benefits of interdependence – that illustrate that asking for help doesn’t make someone less of a hero, it just makes him or her less alone in their heroics.

So, wishing you an awesome Tuesday where you feel exactly like those two little boys – surrounded by all the people who make you invincible.