Great Timing Wonder Woman

It was my birthday yesterday, but I wasn’t much in the mood for celebrating.

On Saturday I spent an awesome afternoon in the sun with friends, family and women from The Clubhouse having a birthday picnic, there was cake, gifts, fizz and oh so much laughter, with the best bunch of women ever, so I went to bed one happy chick Saturday night, without a care in the world.

At 5am I woke up and checked my phone to see what time it was…I saw heaps of notifications on Facebook of friends reporting them safe and I was like “Oh Shit”, I got up and came into the front room to find my sister anxiously watching the news.

Now I know terror attacks are something we have had to get used to across the globe in recent years, and with Manchester not even a fortnight away this one really hit me hard. I used to work near borough market, I could quite easily have been in one of those bars or restaurants, or any other place on a Saturday night enjoying myself after a hard week at work.

Sunday I spent the day at home glued to the TV, I didn’t want to go out into the world, I just wanted to stay home safe with my baby girl.

Messages on social media said we had to be defiant in the face of terror and carry on with life, but I didn’t want to be brave or strong, I just wanted to sit and cry…and once Rose had gone to bed for the night I did.

Monday came round and I knew I had to leave the house. Overnight there had been more reports of arrests in Barking & Dagenham, following the ones the day before in East Ham, both areas close to where I live.

So despite it being my birthday I still had to get out and get on with work.

I met with fellow bloggers Helen Tamblyn Saville and Sophie Kay who were equally shocked. We are working together on a summer fitness challenge called Core Blimey, and our task for the morning was to get some photos of us having fun in the sun…only problem though…no sun!! But after a lovely birthday lunch, we got the shots done and even had fun doing it.

I then decided to go and watch Wonder Woman at the cinema…I mean whats more empowering than going to the cinema by yourself as a single 39 year old woman?

I’ve never been a big superhero fan…but a few friends had seen the film and said it was good.

My daughter Rose is a little obsessed with wonder woman, and actually says wonder woman is ME…let me explain.

About 4 or 5 years ago I bought a vest from New Look which had an image of Wonder Woman on it (the image is at the top of this blog), so I’ve had it for ages, like before all the hype about this new movie. I bought it as a bit of a joke, and I would wear it whenever I had a tough day ahead and knew I would need super powers.

Rose must have asked me who the woman was when she was about 3ish, the conversation went a bit like this

Rose – Mummy who’s that on your top

Me – Its Wonder Woman

Rose – Oh

Short gap….

Rose – You are Wonder Woman Mummy

Me – Why?

Rose – Cos you are really strong and you know everything

Can’t argue with that.

18157095_10155223539040477_315376227511359677_nSince the hype of the new film Rose points out absolutely anything with the Wonder Woman branding with great excitement, and even convinced me to buy her a Wonder Woman swimming costume which she wore with great pride recently in Rhodes…and around the Olympic Park on Saturday.

S0 what about this film? Was it as good as my friends said it was?

YES.

You have to see the film to get it, but seriously at some points in the film I felt myself welling up and I left the cinema with a renewed amount of strength to get on with life and to continue on my journey.

So what was it about the film?

Well, I guess it was the imagery of all those strong powerful women on the island of Themyscira with not a man to be seen or maybe it was the fact that Diana Prince…or Wonder Woman to you and me, was not just a sexy woman in a skimpy outfit…she spoke of the power of love, and the strength of women in changing the world…and if ever do we need that message.

Wonder Woman was strong, and smart and bold. However, she was also a little naive at the start of the film, immature in her desire to save the world. But the film showed that this could also be your strength, part of your story, part of your journey towards finding out your own truth.

Now I know nothing of the original story of Wonder Woman, so I literally watched this with fresh eyes and an open mind…I wish I had a note book with me yesterday to scribble all of the powerful quotes from the film…they could so become my latest mantras.

It is our sacred duty to defend the world and it is what I am going to do

Isn’t that what we should all be doing? Not thinking of just ourselves and our nearest and dearest, but thinking about how we can affect whats going on wider in our communities and on a global scale.

So often we feel powerless to change things, yet sometimes the tiniest act of kindness can mean so much.

I got on a bus this morning and the driver said “Good Morning”, but he said it in such a way, like he really meant it and his smile after I responded really set me up for the day.

Wonder Woman said in the film,

I used to want to save the world, this beautiful place. But the closer you get, the more you see the great darkness within. I learned this the hard way, a long, long time ago.

It didn’t stop her from trying though. It didn’t stop her from giving it her all.

Apparently in the 1975 Movie Wonder Woman said,

Women are the wave of the future, and sisterhood is stronger than anything!

I couldn’t agree more.

Each and every one of us has a role in supporting each other to be the best versions of ourselves. Imagine if women worldwide stopped their personal body battles, stopped beating each other up with criticisms and comparisons, buying trashy magazines and buying into this idea that women are just there to look good?

Imagine how powerful women could be if they picked their battles better…how much time would they have on their hands for a start if they used their energy to improve the world, rather than improve their bodies to meet an unattainable standard.

Today, I have had a simple day in the office ploughing through my to do list…I feel stronger, more hopeful, better equipped to get on with the job in hand. I am about to put on my trainers, face the outside world again…and go out and do my thing, in the hope that I inspire someone else to get out there and give it their best shot too.

So come on women…let’s step up and be wonderful together.

If you would like to join my incredible tribe of women who love and support each other in their lives and fitness endeavors, check out our unique virtual running club The Clubhouse, with 370 wonderful women who surprise me daily with their strength, courage and tenacity. 

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