Lessons Learned From Spiderman

Last night we were sitting in our living room talking, eating apples and looking up flights to warm places on our laptops. I casually glanced over at our front door (from where I was sitting, I was the only one able to see it) and gasped. Looking through the window at the top of the door was Spiderman.

Before I had time to react and/or inform my roommates and/or question the success of my recent Lasik procedure (see previous post), the door swung open and Spiderman ran inside and jumped on our kitchen table in true Spiderman fashion. My roommates screamed, I laughed, Spiderman struck a pose.

He entered with our friend Tom and a girl I know named Chelise. It all became clear in a matter of seconds. I became certain who it was when he went to the piano and began playing "Phantom of the Opera."

My family loves hearing stories about my friend Rob. They call him Weapons because it is not uncommon for him to be armed with some sort of weapon at any given time. His house is full of guns, cool swords, nun-chucks, whips, spears... you name it. He is one of the most refreshingly unique people I've ever met in my entire life. He usually dresses like Indiana Jones. He wears leather vests to church. He's gone to the hospital multiple times for various ailments like that one time when he was practicing with his whip in the front yard and he accidentally whipped himself in the face... or that other time when he was playing with fire and accidentally ignited his eyebrows and all of his arm hair. He can do any accent you can imagine and does fantastic impressions of just about anyone you can name. He makes up various words and uses them naturally in conversation. He saw the movie "How to Train Your Dragon" 13 times in theaters. Rob is a ballroom dancer, a BYU rugby player, a lumberjack, a singer, a Romanian speaker, a pyromaniac, a kilt-wearer, an adventurer, an actor, a wrestler, a construction manager, a model, and anything else he decides he wants to be. When asked if there is anything he doesn't do well, he quickly responds, "Yeah, die."  He loves the gospel and prays with his brothers every night, then stands up and hugs them and tells them he loves them. He is fully and completely committed to being entirely himself at all times.

Chelise is his beautiful girlfriend who is essentially perfect for him. I love that she's in his life but secretly want him to marry my sister because 1) I think they'd really get along, and 2) he'd be the most hysterical brother-in-law in the world.

Picture of Rob sans spandex. Burton brothers Tom, Chris, and Rob (from left to right) as well as me and Chelise. This was after we saw the movie Megamind and nearly died laughing. That movie is hilarious. 

I've thought a lot about Rob lately and his ability to be his own person without concern for what others think. This is something I really struggle with. I went to the new Narnia movie with my Dad and brother and Friday. The movie was okay but one particular part touched me deeply. Lucy (an incredible and independent girl) longs to be like her older sister Susan-- beautiful and mature. Aslan gently reproves Lucy in her moment of weakness and despair by saying, "You doubt your value. Don't run from who you are." I can relate to Lucy, which is probably why I admire people like Rob so much. Due to occasional insecurities that pop up at different times and for a myriad of reasons, I struggle to portray and accept my true self. I see things in others that I would want to be instead of stepping back and seeing things in myself that I'm blessed to actually be.

Only a few days ago, I was in the car on one of my thinking-drives and the situation on my mind was one that I'm grappling with currently. I've been feeling under qualified and diffident in respect to a certain individual in my life and this particular day, these apprehensions were feeling all too real. Feelings of self-doubt were creeping in, filling a lit mind with discouraging shadows. While driving up I-15, I had a moment similar to Lucy's. A clear and distinct voice in my head stopped me and whispered, "You are enough." I argued with the feeling for a moment, mentally listing all the things I'm not, the ways I'm lacking, the weaknesses I struggle with. How could I deserve what I desired with that kind of anti-resume haunting my would-be progressive steps? The voice came again, stronger this time.


"You are enough. You are His. He is a part of you. You have gifts that are unique to you. You deserve great things and have every right to dismiss any thought or feeling that contradicts this divine doctrine. Anyone who genuinely gets to know you will see this, which means that you may need to spend a little more time getting to know yourself. You are more than enough."


This doesn't mean that I left that car and finished that drive having mastered this concept of embracing self, but I did take a big step in the right direction. Later, I read the following quote:

"It may seem odd to think of having a relationship with ourselves, but we do. Some people can’t get along with themselves. They criticize and belittle themselves all day long until they begin to hate themselves. May I suggest that you reduce the rush and take a little extra time to get to know yourself better... Learn to see yourself as Heavenly Father sees you—as His precious daughter or son with divine potential."--President Uchtdorf, "Of Things That Matter Most"- October 2010 Conference

This is proof to me that the Lord is especially good at talking to us in a way we can best understand. I remember thinking after Conference that President Uchtdorf's message was particularly for me.

So, here's to accepting who I am the way I am. And if it means I need to put on spandex and run around the neighborhood to prove it, so be it.

And for your entertainment, here is Spiderman's rendition of "Music of the Night."