Supercize Me

Today’s Daily Post Discover Challenge asks us to celebrate our Superpower.


I don’t generally contemplate superheroes and superpowers. I didn’t read comic books as a kid, and I didn’t play with superpeople action figures.

If there were superhero video games – actually if there were any video games – in those long ago days, I was oblivious to their existence. The only game I knew that employed a joystick was Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots.

I do recall watching Batman and Robin on TV, but the only real superpower they seemed to have was the ability to slide down a fire pole and arrive at the bottom dressed in full crime-fighting regalia. I don’t recall ever seeing how they got back into their civvies after saving Gotham City and returning to the bat cave. Maybe they shinnied back up the pole, gathering back the bits and pieces of clothing from where they had been shucked on the way down.

It would appear that superheroes don’t generally get to choose their special powers. Spiderman was accidentally bitten by a radioactive spider. He may have wanted to grow up to be a human cannonball, but no – the errant arachnid consigned him to scaling walls and spewing dental floss from his palms.

Superman was born with his powers, which weren’t even “super” on his planet of birth; they just appeared so to the non-super types here on Earth. Wonder Woman’s powers were gifts from the Greek gods. I doubt she got to pick her gifts. You know how Greek gods are, always wanting things done their way.

As to my own superpower… well, I have the power to see things that aren’t there. No, I don’t hallucinate. Let me rephrase a bit. You know those intuitive types of people who can see past facades and insincerities? It is often said of them that they see situations and people for what they truly are. I, on the other hand, see things for what they’re not.

It usually starts innocently enough. I’ll be going about my own business when something random unexpectedly catches my eye. A thought bubble appears above my head that says, “Hmmm.” Which is shorthand (or short-brain?) for “That looks interesting. I wonder what I could not do with that.” And then I turn it something it’s not.

My superpower takes hold, and suddenly my paint pants become wall art:

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or my yard debris turns into a wood carving:

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or a sheet of carbon paper becomes a photo series:

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One might think this superpower of mine is not very useful for fighting crime, evil and injustice everywhere. And one would be correct. But it does fight boredom, taking-oneself-too-seriousness and creative block.

I think I should get a costume.  And a sidekick. And an alter ego moniker. Hmmm…

Just call me the Hmmm-inator. Or not.

Weekend Coffee Share 9/3/16

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If we were having coffee, I’d tell you I can’t believe it’s September already! I suppose a lot of people are feeling that way. The weather has been pleasantly cooler this week, but I know there are still hot days to come before autumn settles in.

Autumn is my favorite time of year, and I have plenty of indoor projects lined up for the rainy season. More painting. More demolishing portions of the house and hoping I can reinstate them. And maybe more whittling:

If we were having coffee, I’d show you my “found art sculpture” that I’ve been whittling on and have decided is finished now. It is a section of wood that I pruned out of a tree, formed by two branches that grew together into a permanent knot.

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Knotted branch pre-whittling.

I didn’t notice the unusual growth until I was gathering the cut branches to put them in the compost bin. Had I seen it before cutting it down, I may have left it to grow, to continue its bonding of two into one. But at least I spotted it in time to save it from being chipped up for mulch.

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Knotted branch post-whittling.

I was going to put a coat of polyurethane on the wood to protect it, but I coated a sample piece of the same type of wood and I don’t like the look or feel of it. So this piece is going to stay au naturale.

I showed it to my sister in-law and she commented on how the feel of the smooth wood is calming. I hadn’t thought of it that way before she mentioned it, but I agree. And I’m glad I stuck to using only my utility knife for the project, instead of sanding it smooth. I think perhaps that affects the feel.

So maybe this is not a piece to be stuck on display and allowed to gather dust. Maybe it’s meant to be interactive. Handled now and again for textile calming and comfort. Admired for the complexity/simplicity of nature.

I know, I know. It’s just a piece of wood. But in that vein, one could also say that Michelangelo’s marble statue of David is just a rock.

And now that I’ve likened myself to Michelangelo, I suppose it’s time to come back to mundane reality. There are dishes to be washed, laundry to be folded, and whittling scraps to be swept up.

Thanks for stopping by and listening to my dissertation on the sublime qualities of a chunk of wood. Feel free to run your hand over the smooth branches on your way out, and have a calm, peaceful weekend.


#WeekendCoffeeShare is generously hosted by Diana at PartTimeMonsterBlog.com.