If you could have one super power, what would it be?
I've heard this question a lot, most commonly used as an ice-breaking, get-to-know-you question. It seems like everyone's immediate answer is either "flying" or "invisibility," but neither of those really appeal to me. I can just imagine what my hair would look like after a few minutes in the wild blue yonder. Not a pretty picture. And I've always kind of wondered if Superman didn't get a crick in his neck from soaring horizontally. If I had to fly, I would choose to fly the way Mary Poppins does--upright. But why choose flying at all, when you could opt for teleporting? That's my kind of travel.
And what's the big draw to invisibility? I shudder to think of the havoc I would wreak if I couldn't see my own feet.
I think the power to breathe under water would be very nice. Imagine being able to snorkel or scuba dive without any breathing apparatus. I won't say I have a fear of water, but I have a very, very deep respect for it. I don't like being submerged for more than a couple of seconds. The power to breathe under water would change that.
The power to control your hearing would be nice--super-strength hearing when you need it, no hearing at all for those moments when the kids are whining, the dog is barking, and you have no Calgon to take you away.
The power of persuasion would be awesome, especially with recalcitrant children and grumpy traffic cops. That's a scary one, though--it would be all too easy to let that power corrupt you.
Super speed? Nah, that doesn't really appeal to me. What I would REALLY like is a super metabolism, so I could eat whatever I wanted and keep a trim figure.
Ultimately, though, I think the greatest super power just might be imagination. I believe that untold, unimagined super powers lie dormant in each of us, untapped potential just waiting to be released, if only we can imagine it. Teleportation? No problem! Not only that, telekinesis, telepathy, and a bunch of other tele- words. I may never teleport anywhere myself, but there's no reason a character in my book can't. For now, that's enough super power for me.
What would your super power be?
