Which Super Power

                                             If I Could Have Only ONE
                                                          By Jeff Salter

             When I was a kid, I used to wish I had enough money [approximately $1.50, as I recall] to buy those “X-Ray Vision Glasses” advertised in comic books.  I confess some of the utilizations I imagined were anything but noble.
            But when faced with this question for our blogs this week, I realized making a selection would require a lot more thought and analysis.

Former Favorites
            Flying used to be big on my list … but not so much anymore.  I mean, I’d probably have to wear spandex and a cape.  Doesn’t really fit the current ‘ME’ at all.
            Super-strength was a childhood favorite, too … but these days, I’d worry that my fingers would crush the keyboard at the end of each sentence, or (if I snapped my fingers) somebody’s barn might fall in.
            Super-speed was another early favorite … but I now realize that teleportation (see below) would be much more efficient and wouldn’t muss up my hair or catch bugs in my teeth.
            Another ‘special’ quality – which may or may not be a super power per se – that I imagined as a kid was probably taken directly from the movie Gulliver’s Travels.  Yep, I used to wish I could be a giant.  But only for a little while.  Because gigantic responsibility accompanies being that large and powerful.  Of course, the converse was also appealing — being tiny … as Gulliver was in one episode.  But that was fraught with unimagined dangers from things like ordinary housecats.  [After all, I’d also seen the movie Tom Thumb … and a sci-fi film about people shrunk by an evil scientist.]

Interesting People
            As I sit here typing, I can think of many fascinating people I wish I could have met:  both historic figures (like George Washington, Thomas Jefferson, and Ben Franklin) and those in my own line of ancestry (like my grandfathers who died before I was born). 
            So, if I were allowed to choose a ‘super-power’, I would likely select the ability to travel in time (both directions) and also teleport myself in the present.  [You see, one must be extremely specific when selecting a super-power … lest you get stuck with something that kicks your butt more than it helps anything.]

My Survey
            To test the desirable super-power waters (so to speak) of friends and acquaintances, I posted a straw poll on Facebook a few days ago.  Received a variety of very interesting responses.
            Some, like me, wished for the ability to travel in time or space (teleportation).  One wanted invisibility … another talent I’d wished for as a kid.  One friend wanted ‘genie power – three wishes’ … which has always been among my favorite fantasies as well.
            Others wished for ‘powers’ which seemed more practical:  like telepathy, super knowledge, or the ‘ability to tame the wild beast – be it four-legged or two-legged’.
            Surprisingly (to me), some preferred very specific abilities which they happened to need right NOW:  e.g., ability to generate electricity (because her power was out), ability to color her walls easily (because she needed to paint), and ability to ‘pause’ the rain until she could unload her groceries.  I confess that those tickled me … because I couldn’t see ‘wasting’ my wish on such a focused ‘power’.  [That said, one could generate a LOT of on-going good out of those abilities.]
            One which stood out:  ‘psychokinesis/telekinesis: so I could scratch where it itches without anyone else being the wiser’.  Ha!  Another super power which I suppose all of us would appreciate:  ‘knowing just what to say in the right situation’.
            But among the dozen or so responses I received, there were a few compassionate souls whose selected super power would benefit others considerably more than it would be a bonus for themselves.  Among these very unselfish selections were the following:
            *  power to render the ill-mannered immobile
            *  ability to heal emotional pain
            *  ability to go back in time and undo something I’ve said or done that didn’t come out right
            And, finally, one which deeply touched me:  ‘ability to heal not only the body but the mind and the spirit’.

 Conclusion
            Even though none of us actually has the option of selecting a super-power, I was quite interested in the wide range of responses I received … if it WERE possible.  That said, a good friend posted one which I cannot omit (despite its extreme implausibility):  he wished for the ‘power to understand women’.  Ha!  AS IF.

 Question
            If you had the option, what super-power would YOU select? 

Next week
            I have a special Guest Fox on tap for next Thursday.  Be sure to take off a few minutes from your Thanksgiving Day to have a look at what Laurie Ryan has to say on Nov. 24^th.

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