Superwoman gets a sidekick

I saw Alicia Keys in concert back in the spring. The tickets were free. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have attended. It’s not that I don’t like Alicia Keys, she’s just someone I’d never felt compelled to see in person. I like most of her songs that I hear on mainstream radio and that’s as far as it goes.

Well, that’s how far it went, until that night in Philips Arena. That’s when I became a fan. There is something so real about her, so authentic. And hearing her describe her songs and give us explanations behind the lyrics and inspirations helped me really see that. One song in particular I’d heard on the radio but it went right over my head. I thought it was a bit cliche Superwoman. We’ve heard that one before, big whoop. The melody didn’t grab me, nor did her vocals. It was nice, but that was about it.

Then, on May 21 while impressing me with an awesomely charismatic show, she started talking about something every woman can relate to. The blues. She listed the usual remedies – shopping, calling a girlfriend, partying. But she expressed how one day she felt so blue that none of the above consoled her. So she decided to write some words of encouragement for herself and realized those words could be motivational for all women in all capacities of life: motherhood, matrimony, professionalism, activism…

That song, “Superwoman” has been my anthem ever since. Because I feel tired most days from working 8 hours at the office, then coming home to work another 4 to 6 of overtime with my toddler, in my kitchen, the bedroom, on my laptop, on the phone. It’s exhausting, but most women maintain similar schedules.

I, too, am a super woman. But thankfully I’m getting a sidekick, a nanny/sitter, to pick up the slack on a regular basis so that I can devote just a little more time to being myself, writing, working on freelance projects and studying design, which will ultimately earn me a few more titles. And that’s just, well.. super!