My favorite comic book character is...

Green Lantern! Just kidding. It's Norrin Radd. The Sentinel of the Space Ways. Old chrome dome himself. The Silver Surfer! Lemme tell you why.

You see I've had a problem with drinking in the past. I mean I still have one now, but I don't drink now so it's less of a problem...but back then, whoa Nelly.

It took a long time for me to realize the damage I was doing to the people around me that I care so much about. Some people checked out on me. And who could blame them?! I was a mess!

"But wait!" I hear you cry. "What does this have to do with old Shiney Nipples? I was promised hot steamy mirror polished action!" Well let me tell you.

See the Reflective Revenger started out as a herald of Galactus. Galactus gave Norrin powers so he'd be able to find planets for Galactus to eat. But Norrin was a good dude, so this bothered him a bit. So Galactus like...rewrote his brain meat so that Norrin wasn't such a downer all the time.

So for a long time, our hero the Mercury Zero did some bad stuff. Like really bad stuff. The kind of stuff you don't just count as a learning experience and move on. The kind of stuff you can't really fix.

But eventually, he managed to overcome the will of a primal universal force that consumes planets like fruit snacks! He remembered who he was, and who he wanted to be!

He needed the help of friends to do it. Something that big is too much to overcome by yourself sometimes. And that's ok!

He was left with the realization of the things he'd done, the destruction he'd caused. You can say sorry a million times, but sometimes when you've really hurt people, sorry just isn't going to cut it.

So he set out to make the world better. You can't always fix the damage you did, or undo the hurt you've caused, but you can make sure that going forward you're doing what's right.

He falls back into old patterns some times...

Even hurts the people he cares about...

But when you're fighting something so big, victory isn't a permanent condition. It's something you have to get up and fight for every single day. You have to remember why you're fighting. What you're fighting for.

And it helps to remember that you don't have to do it alone.

So if you're dealing with something that is kicking your butt...please remember that nothing is insurmountable. Asking for help is nothing to be ashamed of.

You may not have been who you set out to be up until now, and there's no changing that. But just think of who you COULD be! I mean look at you! You could be ANYTHING!

You have it in you to move past what has hurt and held you down. Maybe you can't undo the damage you've done, but you damn sure can make sure that going forward you're going to strive to be someone that makes the world a better place!

Because who is gonna stop you? I'm sure not!

So that's why I love the Silver Surfer. He reminds me that even though I've been a jerk, I've struggled with things bigger than me, I've hurt people and been an all around turd, I can still try to be a good person today. And today may not be all that matters, but it's definitely the most important day of your life. Now get out there and show the world what your shiny ass can do!