My youngest granddaughter, Hunter, has a fascination with superheroes. I know the crusaders from my youth: Superman, Batman, and Wonder Woman, but now there are armies of superheroes all with unusual skills and abilities. I can't keep track of them. Hunter can be counted on to remind me which ones are evil and which are the crusaders for good.
Hunter is a prankster, and you can never tell when she is telling the truth or trying to fool you. Last time I was there, after watching her trick her father, I told her "Your superpower is lying. You have to remember to use your power only for good." Her sister, Megan, immediately asked me, "Nana, what's my superpower?" We're still trying to figure out Megan's superpower.
I've had my new car for almost three months, but I'm still learning how all the fancy features work. The first week I bought it my son and I drove to Walla Walla to see David Sedaris read from his latest work. Halfway there a strange light on the dash came on. I asked my son to take out the manual and figure out what it was. These new cars should come with secret decoder rings. After 15 minutes of searching through the two inch thick book, my son exclaimed "All that is in this manual is stuff about the radio!"
When we got to the theater, I found a second manual in the glove compartment; my son had been reading the audio manual. In our third row seats waiting for the show to start, I discover that the blinking light was a flat tire warning. Oops!
After the show we checked the tires. None of them looked flat. We drove home and once again the light came on 20 miles into our 40 mile journey. The next morning I took the car to the tire store and they tell me that the sensors are notorious for giving false readings when it is freezing outside.
This week the spouse and I were driving through the freezing fog to Costco in Tri-Cities. The flat tire warning light came on and the spouse asked what it was. I told him about the flat tire light and that it was like the little boy who cried wolf; I don't know whether to believe it or not.
"I can't believe you can't tell when a tire is flat. Can't you feel it in the wheel? I can ALWAYS tell when a tire is flat...or even just a little low," the spouse says.
"I guess that's your superpower," I tell him. "Hunter will be so excited that we've identified your superpower."
I'd like to think that we all have superpowers and it's just a matter of identifying them. I haven't found mine yet. Have you found yours?
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I haven't found my superpower either.
ReplyDeleteAs much as I like the new safety features on cars, figuring them all out, and seeing that dreaded light go on my dashboard gives me great anxiety. I think you need a superpower to just understand the manual.
ReplyDeleteI think both girls superpower is cuteness, they need to use that power very carefully.
ReplyDeleteMy flat tire sensor is a thumping noise, followed by "Oh shit!" from the driver seat.
Whenever I have gotten a flat, it's VERY obvious. My superpower is changing a flat.
ReplyDeleteYour husband and I share superpowers. Perhaps you've never had a flat tire.
ReplyDeleteI wonder, if that sensor worked properly, how soon it could tell you that you had a blowout and need to get the car under control pronto!
My superpower is being able to fly. In a vertical perspective, that is. Sixty-eight hours of freefall is definitely a superpower! :-)
ReplyDeleteOh, I hate that tire pressure sensor. Our is always on. PITA!
ReplyDeleteI'm going to see David Sedaris in April. Can't wait!
I'm happy to see that somebody out there is keeping track of all the superheros these days. I'm lost! As to my own superpowers, I'm still waiting for them to reveal themselves.
ReplyDeleteYour superpower is the ability to tell stories that make people laugh and cry at the same time. :-)
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