Over the summer, I bought a Batman shelf.  An actual three foot wide, stark black metal shelf, carefully fashioned into the shape of the legendary Batman bat logo.  I had been eyeing it at Pottery Barn Kids for years – yes, years.  I pondered purchasing it several times, but something always stopped me.  It wasn’t cheap, so to buy it seemed an excessive and unneeded purchase.  Also, I wasn’t quite sure where one hangs a Batman shelf if they don’t have a little boy’s room in their home plan; so that was a puzzle.  And, even more apparent, it seemed rather foolish when seriously considered…after all, what 50 year old woman needs a Batman shelf? 

Well, it finally went on sale at a last chance clearance price that I couldn’t pass up, with an online coupon code to boot.  I knew that if I didn’t take the plunge; a decade from now, I would still be peering into that corner store at the mall, wishing I had pulled the trigger and acquired the Pottery Barn Kids magnum opus.  I know this because, 24 years later, I still regretfully gaze toward what used to be the Parisian store at Forest Fair Mall where the beautiful Ralph Lauren velvet and gold beaded, crested logo, cashmere sweater once was on display. 

And, so, the Batman shelf was finally mine.

Even though the sale was complete and the online email receipt filed away, I still had just a twinge of buyer’s remorse.  I had no doubt that I loved the item.  After all, since my first glance, I had not been able to pass by that boy’s superhero bedroom set-up in the window without imagining one day owning the black metal masterpiece.  But, something still felt wrong and I couldn’t revel in my purchase until I got to the bottom of it. 

I mean really, why would any sane 50 year old woman buy a Batman shelf?  Why did I even want that Batman shelf in the first place?  I mean, I like Batman.  Like.  Maybe I read one or two comics of my brother’s back in the day.  I know of the Adam West television show which had its fun “Pow” and “Zonk!” but I don’t even think I’ve watched a full episode.  And, to the dismay of many, I didn’t really care for the Christian Bale Batman movies (I actually think I missed seeing one of them). Don’t get me wrong; they are okay – i.e. I’ll watch them and have fun, but I don’t own any of them, nor feel the need to have them close for a 2^nd viewing.  On the enjoyment scale, I certainly liked the Michael Keaton Batman movies (that also means the Val Kilmer & George Clooney versions) better.  But, not so much that I consider them at the top of my must own list.  So, it had to be something more than just liking Batman.

So, what is it about that black winged logo that draws me to want to plaster it up on the wall? 

Maybe it’s just that I just like bats.  No, I don’t want one flying through my house in the middle of the night or anything; but, I can’t help but watch them in awe as they coast the dusk, smoke filled sky on a warm summer’s evening.  I know they are capturing all those pesky mosquitoes that just happen to bite me more that most for some unknown reason.  And, I actually think they are cute (the bats, not the mosquitoes).  Plus, nighttime is just cooler than daytime, so nocturnal animals, are, by fault, a little cooler than daytime creatures.  Bats are, no doubt, my favorite flying animal.  But there has to be more than that. 

And, then I got it. 

I uncovered that the Batman shelf didn’t really have a whole lot to do with liking bats or Batman at all.  In fact, it was much more.

It reminds me of going to one of those Michael Keaton Batman films.  Walking up to the long gone, two-screened Kenwood Cinema with the Farasey kids, Betsy, Brian and Matt; and, making up a military-style walking song, themed just for the day… “Left the Joker to fight with Batman, all because I thought it was right…right…right through the town of Gotham City…”

It reminds me of all those summer blockbusters, not just Batman.  The thrill of sitting in the darkened theater with a big tub of popcorn and an ice-cold Coke, embracing the excitement of what is about to enthrall a welcoming audience.

It reminds me of sitting at our kitchen table, pre-holidays 1992, scanning through the Warner Bros. store catalog and seeing a Michael Keaton signed “Batman Returns” poster.  Then, begging my mom to buy it for me as my only Hanukkah/Christmas present that year.  (Still a prized possession) 

It reminds me of twilight and one of my favorite drives up the 101 just as the sun was setting, on my way to pick up Casey and head to the opening night of a Star Wars movie at the Chinese Theater; or, a dusky evening sitting by Amber’s pool with the girls I met at The Owens Group, as we solve all the world’s problems with a wonderful movie soundtrack rock ballad in the background.

It reminds me of my crush on Chris O’Donnell in 1993 and buying my Batgirl costume, which is still one of the coolest costumes I’ve ever seen available for public purchase.

Then, because of that celebrity crush, tagging my own duo (John & Dawn) along to go see “The Three Musketeers” on opening night.  And, the two of them happily reluctant to raise their fist in the air in a sword-swiping pose, to solidify our own “one for all” friendship…more than once.

It reminds me of Halloween and our “Terror in the Canyon” party at John’s Hollywood Hills’ house and the year that John came from LA and Casey came from Orlando to Cincinnati just to celebrate Halloween.

It reminds me of my dad knowing just the right people at the radio station to call and get us into the “Batman Forever” advance screening (quirk of fate there, huh?), so we could see it before anyone else.

It’s the silver bat charm that that hangs around my neck.  The one I bought in Mexico while on a cruise with my mom and dad.  I can still see my mom shaking her head in reflection of the fact that of all the cute charms I could have purchased, I chose that one.

Yes, it is so much more than a shelf in the shape of a DC Comic character logo.  It is friendship and family and my love of movies; and all the many wonderful memories those combinations bring.  That is the Batman shelf.  That is why I bought it and that is why it hangs proudly in the loft of our new house for everyone to see.  As you peer upstairs and catch a glimpse, you may not get the whole package that hides within its dark shelves, and that’s okay.  I understand it now, and honestly, it is worth way more than even the original purchase price.  In fact, I’d say it’s actually priceless.  And, just like all of Batman’s secret toys, the good thing is, it’s also really, really cool.