I could use a few more super powers

For the most part we don’t run around in tights. Most of us don’t have a cape. We’re not able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. Heck, one day last week I couldn’t even walk across my yard without tripping in a hole and nearly landing on the pruning shears I was carrying – yet another reason not to garden.

When my kids were younger I believe they did think I had super powers.

At times they would mumble so low or incoherently when I asked a question that I needed the bionic hearing that Jamie Sommers used to have.

And like Peter Parker, often my Spidey senses would be tingling. For instance, whenever one of my kids randomly told me out of the blue, “Mom, I love you,” there was a pretty good chance they were up to something. Or they wanted something. And it isn’t usually wasn’t a hug.

Sometimes I felt the need to remind at least one of my kids about the kinds of shoes I wear. In the summer I wear flip- flops. When it snows I wear boots. But never am I wearing footwear that comes with springs on the bottoms. But I know at times in their younger years yet they thought I could leap to their request in milliseconds.

I can remember one day years ago sitting at my desk. My phone rings. The conversation went like this.

Oldest child at soccer practice: “Mom, can you bring me a Gatorade?”

Me: “Yes, but .

Click.

That would be him hanging up on me. Had he let me finish my sentence I would have said, “Yes, but I’m at work so I can’t leave this second.”

Less than five minutes later as I’m entering a store my phone rang again.

“Are you here?” Ummm, “I had to go somewhere to buy the Gatorade,” I pointed out.

But no worries, let me throw the springs on my feet and I’ll bounce right over. And I’ll leap over one or two buildings on . .” my way.

Still, in my younger mom days I suppose you could say I possessed super powers.

Healing or regeneration? I used to make boo boos go away with my kisses.

Time travel? I’ve been known to have travelled from one hockey game in Clare to another one in Bridgewater and arrived early at both rinks.

Invisibility? Sometimes it seemed like I was invisible when I arrived somewhere to pick up my kids and they avoided eye contact with me because they weren’t ready to go home yet.

Shrinking? During any given season of hockey I watch my bank account shrink.

Nowadays I’d settle for more mundane superpowers, like squatting – imagine having the ability to crouch down to take a photo while on the job without having to ask someone for help in getting back up.

Permanent roots would be nice, as mine seem to go grey every few weeks.

Cloning still tops the list of powers I’d find useful, particularly when trying to do everything at once, while needing to be everywhere at once. Or maybe camouflage is the better route. That way you could just disappear.

Then again, I think I’ll just stick with my favourite super power – the ability to make others smile. What I love most about this super power is that so many other people possess it and share it daily as well.

And you don’t need tights or a cape.

( Not my best look.)