My Inner Warrior

I was thinking about my favourite books and characters in them as well the television shows and movies I love to watch and I began to see a common thread. It seems I love stories where  girls kick butt.

   

 

(If you haven't read these titles, I highly recommend you check them out)

   All of the books above -aside from being fantastic reads, feature girls (women) who are strong willed, brave, and can fight for themselves. Katniss, Tris, Celaena & Keladry…are their own heroes and are among my favourite characters in literature for that very reason. I like to think of myself as a strong woman. I can be brave except in the presence of spiders. I don’t give up easily. I’m willing to stand up for others- but I don’t know how to wield a knife, or throw a punch,  shoot an arrow or scale a wall. But none of those skills are absolutely necessary right?  I love that these heroines have mastered their “physical” selves through endurance, through pain, through sheer will power. I admire that and wish it was something I had. Perhaps its just that I have yet to uncover it in myself.. though I hope it doesn’t take something like The Hunger Games or the End of the World for me unleash my inner warrior.

 

One of my favourite things about reading is disappearing into the characters and for a while feeling like a hero. TV on the occasion can inspire me too. Shows like Xena (I know a little corny)and especially Buffy  the Vampire Slayer allow me to believe that stopping a sword with my hands, or do a jumping somersault on to the back of a horse is something I could do even if it’s just for a little while. 

My hope is that authors and writers will continue to create stories about women who overcome their circumstances through bravery, will and a few sword fights and arrows. Who knows maybe archery isn't too far off in my future but I'm definitely thinking scaling walls and jumping somersaults is far far far away.