What is- or what would you like- your superhero power (to be)

I was asked this when I did an interview and I think it’s such a great question for discussion, along the lines of who is better – Batman or Superman? I’ll tell you who I think it is at the end of this.

Would I like to go invisible like (duh!) the Invisible Man? The thought makes me a little light headed. Have a rope of truth like Wonder Woman (well, what woman wouldn’t want that? Especially if she thinks her honey is fibbing to her??)

Does Thor’s hammer of strength appeal to me? Not really. What about Hawkeye’s deadly bow? Not so much. Captain America’s shield? Um, no.

Spiderman’s spidey sense – can’t even consider this one. I hate spiders. Even super heroes who act like them. Yuk. I might like to control the weather, but then I think about how everyone hates the weatherman and renege on the thought.

X-ray vision might be cool, but then I think about all those man-thong wearers out there and I cringe in disgust.

I would have to say my superpower would be (and in reality, is) my ability to make people laugh even when the situation I’m in is highly charged and emotional.

I’m the type of gal who gets hit with the giggles at inappropriate times. During a funeral once I found something the eulogizer said funny and laughed out loud. I was the only one. I’m that female who always says the wrong thing for the wrong reason due to nerves. At a wake once I was telling a story and said, “Oh, my God, I was so embarrassed I almost died. “ Yes. At a wake. Where there was a dead body a few feet away. And yup, I’m the one who is usually making other people blush with my bluntness because I always feel the quickest way to say something is the way that causes you to get the most bang for your buck.

But even with all that, I make people laugh.

I once had an extremely irate patient yell at me for what seemed like an hour straight but was probably about 5 minutes. I let him rant, never saying a word. When he finally ran out of speed, after telling me all the things that had been done to him and what he was now doing – which BTW weren’t making him any better – I cocked my head at him and said, “How’s that going for ya?” He was so flabbergasted, he laughed. Out loud. A full belly shake. And then I helped him with the problem he was having. When he left my office sweetness and light surrounded him.

I watched a waitress get reamed by a very hostile and drunk customer once. She kept her cool, never once defending herself or yelling back at him. When she came to the table where my friends and I were, she was visibly shaking and had a painful smile on her face, but she was lovely to us and trying to pretend nothing had happened. When she asked if she could help us, I asked back, “Want us to go and beat that guy up? We can do it so no one sees us. Really. My uncle is connected. I know what I’m doing.”

She stared at me for a second and then smiled. The smile turned into a grin, which turned into laugh. When my entire table of people was done laughing, she said, “Thanks, but it’s okay.” When we left I noticed she had comped our drink order so we all pitched in and left her a $100.00 tip.

The Reader’s Digest used to have a column titled, Laughter is the best medicine, and it’s so true. Anytime you can use laughter to diffuse a situation, relieve someone’s embarrassment, or for any reason to make them feel good, it’s worthwhile.

So. Superman or Batman? For me it’s always and forever going to be Superman. Hey, he can fly, has super hearing, sight and smell, is uber-strong and can stop bullets in his hand. Plus he’s a writer like me (Clark Kent anyone?) Batman, not so much. Cut him he bleeds, hit him he falls. Yeah, he may be a mega rich playboy, but he needs a whole cave of techie stuff to get the job done. Unlike Superman who is all-natural.

Besides: Batman looks like…well…a bat.

Thoughts? Let’s discuss…