Hello! I'm here to talk about a snowball. I do realize that summer has arrived (to the USA at least), but I'm going to talk about a snowball anyhow. And really, the snowball is just the analogy that will help me share what I've been learning most recently through TinySuperheroes!
I didn't set out to start or create TinySuperheroes, it essentially started itself. TinySuperheroes isn't just a company, or even just an amazing community, and it definitely isn't just a Cape. TinySuperheroes is a mission, a movement, a lifestyle, a belief that humans are deserving of feeling valued, worthy, and loved. Since the first Cape was sent, TinySuperheroes has rolled ahead of me like an ever-growing snowball - a snowball that I have at times just been trying to keep up with, and at more times felt like I needed to chase.
For most of the past 11 years, I have believed that I needed to be ahead of the snowball. I thought, that in order to be the kind of leader this community deserves, that it was my job to control, build, direct, and protect the snowball. But, there was a problem. The bigger the snowball became, the faster it rolled. I ran for over a decade, and still have yet to catch it.
About a year ago I found myself very, very tired.
I'm humbled, yet excited, to share that I've realized (slowly) that the idea of needing to be ahead of TinySuperheroes only puts me in the way! Wow. I was a slow, yet persistent, learner on this one.
Being in the way was never my intention. I can genuinely say that my heart - for our community, for each child, each caregiver, and every Cape or Patch sent - my heart longs for TinySuperheroes to bring love, courage, support, strength, connection, belonging, and hope to all who encounter it. I am grateful and proud for this to be true.
But, with an online community of tens of thousands of families, and tens of thousands of more Capes on top of that, I now see how silly it is to think that TinySuperheroes ever needed or will ever need me to accomplish its mission in the world. Instead, TinySuperheroes has ALL of us - together - to support it, celebrate it, share it, and love it!
I'm not going anywhere, I've taken a lot of time in the past year to learn a new way - how to love TinySuperheroes and trust it to keep rolling! I'm still a work in progress, but I know now that this snowball knows the way far better than I do, and I know now that I'm not alone. I am surrounded by the most extraordinary group of kids and families in the world, and I have arrived at this place of peace because of this community - because of you. Thank you.
I don't chase the snowball anymore and I have no desire to get ahead of it (and crushed), but I'm still running with it because I believe that this Squad of kids and this community of compassionate people can truly change the way the world views illness or disability, in fact, I think we already are! I really hope you'll continue running alongside it with me!
The path ahead is unpaved, which is terrifying to snowball chasers like me. I'm leaning into my faith and all of the superpowers our Squad practices every month. I trust that moment by moment I'll continue to learn that the snowball knows the way.
Thanks for reading - it was something I wanted to share with you. Nothing big is changing over here that we're aware of, and as you see us testing and trying small things, I hope you can trust that we're always working towards the best interest of this community, and to see that TinySuperheroes is strong and sustainable for the long haul!
With love, gratitude, and humility,
Robyn