Have You Ever Wished for a Super Power? . . .

. . . I have, so many times, for various powers. That just popped into my head the other day and I remembered the first time I ever had such a wish. I think I was about five years old. And oddly, it was not the usual wish a person that someone that young might make. No--I didn’t wish for unlimited ice cream or treats, nor did I wish for magic sports ability, and I certainly didn’t wish that I would never have to bathe again. I especially didn’t wish for that last one, for you see bath time was a great time—why, that’s when I pretended to be Esther Williams or the greatest Olympic swimmer of all time. I would kick my feet and dramatically grasp the edge of the tub as I pretended to be finishing the last movement in the world championship. (Besides, I always loved to get clean after a big day of sweating the sweet sweat of childhood so I could jump into clean pajamas and hop into bed and sing a while.)

No, my wish was for the greatest linguistic ability ever. Let’s clear one thing up right now—I am a Sagittarian, and am without a doubt one of the most curious beings on this planet. I remember the first time I ever saw or heard someone speak a foreign language. Well, it frustrated me, I was left out. I couldn’t understand the French, Spanish or whatever language it was that piqued my interest. I DID watch a lot of Tarzan movies, so perhaps it all started when he encountered jungle inhabitants who spoke another language, and I needed to rely on good ol’ Johnny Weissmuller to interpret. That was a disconnect, I was not immediately in the link and that irked me. So, I would silently make my wish and wait for the ability to light upon me. Of course that never happened. 

It went the way of many lost wishes and time rocked on. There was school and college and there were of course requirements for language study along the way. During high school I took two years of Spanish and I am not sure I could even ask about the nearest food purveyor, or the location of a hospital should someone need help with the language.

In college I decided to focus on French and probably because it was the most recent time I studied a language, some of it stuck. If I found myself in a French speaking nation I could find my way to the bakery, the post office, the nearest tobacco shop (yes, that was a phrase I had to learn) AND the closest hospital. I could tell folks my name and try to learn theirs, or perhaps order a bite to eat and bumble through finding my hotel. But it would not go beyond that.

As you can deduce I failed in my wishing abilities or didn’t or don’t have a very good memory or just have to face the fact that I am not good with languages. I may think about going online and signing up with one of the language tutoring services to at least brush up on the 2 languages I know a smattering of so all will not be lost. Then I think about how age has impacted my ability to travel easily, now that I have to drag a "rollator" along with me. And I think of the cost, and how many more important things need to be paid for—there’s a drastic need for landscaping to just make my yard presentable, and there’s the house that needs painting, and the car I drive is aging faster than me!

So, I might learn a language just for my edification, but then again I might opt for a mind reading course and skip the hard work, the need of an interpreter and just learn to magically receive thoughts like the beam of a ray gun. Now there’s the ticket! Es una buena idea or c'est une bonne idée!

If YOU have a super power, what is it, or if you wished for such a power, what would your choice be? Think about it.

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It turns out that I am not the only one who thinks of super powers. Here are a few examples of others:

The things that make us different, those are our superpowers. - Lena Waithe

"If I had a superpower, it would be to teleport. The idea of seeing the world in one day is exciting, but the thought of not checking bags almost moves me to tears." - Colton Underwood

Having a superpower has nothing to do with the ability to fly or jump, or superhuman strength. The truest superpowers are the ones we all possess: willpower, integrity, and most importantly, courage.

Jason Reynolds

“I have one power. I never give up.” — Batman

“Heroes are made by the path they choose, not the powers they are graced with.” — Iron Man