Guest Post

Pick a Marvel, DC, or a personal cultural hero to embody in a “guest post” for your blog.

Hello everyone, my name is Wanda Maximoff, but many of you may know me as the Scarlet Witch. The last couple months I’ve decided to lay low with, you know, all the destruction and dark magic lately. I love my magic, but I’m tired of all the fear and catastrophes lately, so I’m taking a bit of a break. But, my dear friend Paola asked if I could say some words on her lovely blog on how I give myself time to relax when I’m in combat. The truth is, even I find this hard to do at times.

In the past few years, I found myself overwhelmed by magic. I mean, I am a sorceress after all. But after the Darkhold consumed me, I found myself obsessed with mastering everything I could about the mystical arts. The good and the evil. Everyone thinks I was buried in the rubble after destroying the Darkhold in front of America and Dr. Strange. But after seeing the disaster I had caused and a chance to destroy this Darkhold from every universe, I made a small promise to myself to never use my magic for such evil ever again.

I created a shield to protect myself from the falling rocks where no one could see. With the little magic I had left, I transported myself to a random location where no one could find me, where I could take a break from magic. I ended up in Canada.

I thought to myself, “this isn’t that bad, I’ve never been to Canada.” I later realized I’d transported myself to downtown Vancouver, which was a little busier than I had expected. I thought there would be more bears and trees. I didn’t have the energy to transport myself again, so I used my little remaining magic to change my clothes and trick the nearest landlord into believing that I lived in his building and to provide me a spare key as I had “lost” my previous one.

One afternoon I went out for lunch at a tiny pizza place a few blocks from my apartment. I rarely go out to eat, I fear that someday, somehow, someone will recognize me. I can’t relax. I can’t even go out to lunch without thinking about my powers, how I could harness them better, or if I’ll lose control again and hurt more people. I guess I was so lost in my thoughts that I hadn’t realized somebody looking at me. I was terrified at first, because I thought someone had recognized me. But no, the young lady looking at me simply said she loved the colour of my hair, the fiery colour in the sun. That young lady was Paola.

Strangers never approach me, and I rarely approach them. But there was something comforting about speaking with somebody that had no bad intentions, that didn’t know who I was or what I had done. Paola was one of the first people I spoke to upon trying to blend in here. We spoke for a bit, exchanged names (to which I said ‘Linda’), and for the first time in a long time, I felt relief, I felt relaxed. I noticed she was surrounded by her laptop and notebooks, where she told me she was busy studying and desperately wanted a break. We laughed and I said I needed a break too. She asked me what I do for work, which I obviously couldn’t reveal. I remember I randomly said that I worked at a lawyer’s office; technically this blog post is the first time she is finding out about my true story.

Paola asked me what I do for fun when I’m not working. Whether I was a sorceress or a fake office worker, I didn’t know how to respond. I couldn’t remember the last time I had fun. I asked Paola what she did to relax, but she also replied with how she struggles to enjoy the things she used to do: read, journal, build miniature models and film photography. Paola hadn’t crushed cities, or almost destroyed half the universe; she was a young lady that had the freedom of the world to do whatever she wanted. Good for her for having responsibilities, but I told her she shouldn’t burden herself. I told her she never knows when her entire world will change forever (speaking from… multiple experiences). I told her to cherish her time here on Earth, to enjoy what she loves once in a while because her responsibilities will always be there, and that doesn’t mean she can ignore what she loves to do forever. Paola responded with: “I hope you do the same too, Linda.”

I realized that I also had the freedom to do whatever I wanted. I was in a new city, as a new person, and I knew I had to stop thinking that my magic would consume me again.

So to Paola’s lovely readers, my biggest recommendation to you is this: you don’t have to wait until you transport yourself to a new country with a new identity to enjoy yourself a little. Your responsibilities will always be there, and my magic will always be a part of me, but it doesn’t mean we can’t ever allow ourselves to relax and enjoy what we love. Both are so, so important to have in our lives. It keeps us grounded. Please, young readers, don’t wait until you’re done a busy week at work to enjoy reading a book or seeing an old friend. Time goes by so quickly, and before you know it, months and years go by in the blink of an eye. Or a mountain falls on your city. Anyways, the point is to make time for yourself; you will always have responsibilities, but don’t let them consume you.

To my dear Paola, I’m grateful for our little conversation at that pizza place and for asking me to speak in your blog. Yes, my name is Wanda and not Linda, and I’m aware this whole story may come as a bit of a surprise to you. The mystic arts take years of mastery and practice, but maybe I’ll show you a little trick or two next time.

Take care my dear,

Wanda M.