(photo source: http://www.tutusandladybeetles.com)
Just for fun, do you have any minor superpowers? We were discussing this over dinner recently, and were surprised by the number of people we know who actually do!
Big Boy’s friend John has a unique ability to negotiate even the most frightening traffic as a pedestrian. On a recent band tour, his fellow musicians realised that the safest way to cross a busy road was to walk in line with John, as he had an innate ability to weave and duck through oncoming traffic. His sixth sense extended to knowing when a car was going to run a red light, or judging exactly the right amount of time required to avoid an accelerating vehicle. Big Boy and his mates refer to it as “Johnwalking”.
Small Man has a highly acute sense of smell, which is both remarkable and problematic. He’s been known to walk into a kitchen where chocolate truffles were prepared hours before and pick up the scent of the strawberry puree used in the fillings. Of course, the downside to this is that anything that smells even the slightest bit funky never makes it past his lips.
My friend the Spice Girl has the power to bend time. Truly, she does. She can ring and say, “I have a meeting that finishes at 1.15pm, so I should be able to get across town to you by 1.30pm for lunch, which will leave me plenty of time to get back to the kids at 2.15pm”. Given we live 40 minutes apart, it’s amazing that she can do that, and yet she always manages to somehow. She has the ability to squeeze more things into a short window of time than anyone I know!
Kevin Sherrie, all round good guy and miller extraordinaire, is one of those people who can find a parking spot any where, any time. It’s always best to travel to busy events in Kev’s car, especially if high heels are involved, as it’s the surest way to guarantee the least amount of walking. I’ve known Kevin to drive into town on Anzac Day and find free street parking.
What about you, do you have any minor superpowers? Mine are very minor indeed and relate more to experience than anything else, I suspect – I’m able to pick when the chocolate is almost at temper, and I’m often able to get to the kitchen timer as it’s counting down its final thirty seconds. Given that I’ll still occasionally burn something in the oven though, it’s hardly an infallible superpower!
Fig Jam and Lime Cordial 
Ah…if only it were true Celia! That would be a skill I would surely love to have. Never quite enough hours in the day to fit in all the things I want to do.
You know the super power that I truly would love ofcourse…time travel. To be able to zip forward and back and “visit” past lives, mistakes, special moments…check out the future…in glimpses only, not spoiling the surprise. Wouldn’t that be good?!
I spent a past life working with folks who society labeled ‘developmentally disabled’, but when you got to know them well, you realized how amazingly life’s gifts are distributed among us.
I knew folks who, although unable to tie their shoes, could compute the day of the week of any date in history you gave them – I met some with musical talents that’d make you cry, and w/o one bit of training of any kind – and I’ve known a guy who could read an entire book at a pace of a page every 5 seconds, and he never forgot anything he read! But every morning, his father dressed him.
These kinds of experiences lead us to know just how simple we humans really are, and yet how complex, all at the same time – it’s humbling.
Long ago I learned that my skills are in being a generalist – someone with a thousand interests, but no special ability – IOW, I know a little about a lot of things, but nothing really well. Yet, that too has its rewards.
My sense of smell often warns me that things are cooked and need taking out of the oven, even if it’s ahead of time, but given that I’ve just burnt a pan of apples and pears simmering on the hob, to make a compote, I’m not infallible either!
I bake by smell. I can smell when things are done.
Exactly- perfectly- done.
It drives my husband crazy, because I will go and pull the cookies out at just the right moment, when the timer hasn’t gone off yet- or ignore the timer because I can smell that they aren’t done yet.
Of course, when I have a cold-
Everything Burns!
My friend John has a map for a brain. He can return to a place five years later, at night, in the rain and still find it.
The Wonderhub has a whole array of superpowers, like being able to tell you what make and model a car is, or the year a guitar was made. He can glance at a soldier in uniform and tell if the ribbons are in the right order.
I’m not sure what mine might be, though I have a face that people are not afraid to talk to. I always have complete strangers ask me the time, for directions, where things are in the supermarket. Kids and babies, too.
On the other side I have absolutely awful, “Standing in line” karma. There can be seven checkstands open and I will always end up behind the old lady returning a piece of fruit that she bought with a coupon and pays for everything in pennies. everytime. I swear.
Maz
I share Small Man’s sense of smell, especially sniffing out the funky stuff! My friend Sarah is the same and we both love the book Perfume by Patrick Suskind. It’s the story of an orphan whose body has no aroma, yet he possesses an extremely sharp sense of smell. This leads him to become a perfumer…and a murderer. Great book!
I have a pretty good sense of direction, which is handy, because I travel so much. My friend has the parking ability. She keep a cowrie in her car and when she needs a car park, she rubs the cowrie and a park appears as if by magic.
I would like some please, can you organize a Giveaway ?
My superpower is definitely my ability to get things done at the speed of light. My partner often says that watching me make bread is like watching an intricate dance in high speed. I don’t think I do things faster than anyone else but I guess I wouldn’t really know, as I’m busy doing them, not observing! Efficiency is definitely a strength of mine though.
Love this post, so quirky! x
Thank you all, you’ve made me laugh this morning! :)
Suelle and Heidi, amazing that you can both judge when something is cooked by its smell! I can only pick when it’s burnt.. :)
Spice Girl, honestly, I’ve never seen anyone who manages time quite like you do! :)
Doc, thank you – you’re absolutely right, a lot of people the world views as disabled have the most astounding minor superpowers!
Maz, it doesn’t surprise me at all that complete strangers feel they can talk to you! :)
Sue, does that mean you can never eat blue cheese or that really stinky Italian dried fish? ;-)
Deb, I wish I had your sense of direction, I’m perpetually getting lost!
Jo darling, you can teach a wild bird how to have a shower in a hose spray. Dr Doolittle had nothing on you. ;-)
Amy, good for you! I’d love to be more efficient!
You have to check out this Celia! It talks about this very subject!
I’m the person all the lost children in parks, or supermarkets or school excursions flock to. And little old ladies . I don’t know why, maybe because they’re nearly as tall as me and I’m not as intimidating. They just come and stand next to me sniffeling, or hold my hand. I usually tell them that they shouldn’t go with strangers, but if they wanted to look for mummy I will follow them. My friends always laugh and walk a few paces behind.
I also know if there is a speedvan or police stop set up along the roads. I always use cruise control anyway, but I’m never wrong!
It’s always nice to know you’re special!
Hehe…B, I think that may well have been the skit that started the discussion – it was the line, “sometimes when I’m in a kitchen where I’ve never been, I can sense where the cups and crockery are..”. ;-)
And darling, I’m not at all surprised that all the lost sheep end up holding your hand. Not surprised at all.. :)
Yep! I share Small Man’s super powers with being able to pick up a scent, it definitely has its up sides as a chef but the downsides are a bit disturbing. My mom has an ability to ‘see’ when a jam is set or a syrup is at its turning point…. superpowers all around us Celia.
I think I’d like your chocolate tempering power.., that’s one little sukka I find disturbingly difficult. I love Rebecca’s superpower, too funny :)
Hehe I do! If I am a car passenger, I will always find a parking spot. I don’t know if this works if I am the driver though but I’m very useful as a passenger!
No, no superpowers, I’m afraid. Dull. Dull. Dull.
No, no, no. I’ve read your blog, you’re anything but dull, Lee. :)
Anna, Pete has that ability too! Re the jam being at set point that is, although I doubt it’s as infallible as your mum’s!
Lorraine, will be interesting to see how the parking spot power works now you’re the driver! :)
Mr Chocolate has the car park super powers. Anywhere, anytime…no problem what so ever!
I loved that skit/song when I first heard it. Funny stuff.
My super powers… I think I will have to go find one…
I have the parking super powers, and I have taught my daughter how. It’s something to do with total expectation. I can get plants to grow, even if other people have half killed them and thrown them away. I think you have the green thumb too Celia.
My main super power is to do with Geometry. For more than twenty years I worked on a piece of geometry which looked like a floor. I was convinced than somewhere in the world there was such a floor and it was under water and rubble. This was my dream. I did find pictures of “the floor”, six months after it was dug out from under the ruins of a burned building in Scotland. This was not any floor you could make by cutting up square tiles, the shapes were too odd to do this and the points too sharp to cut. This floor was a one off bespoke floor hand molded by Minton Tile Company when they existed. The floor is in a house called Glenlair in Scotland.
I’ve just remembered how the parking thing works for us… you have to hum the theme from Bond, full on, no hesitation, no under the breath coyness. Blast it out! dum durrah dum dum dum dum dum durrah dum dum dum dum DA DUM, da da dum! and someone who is parked immediately jumps into their car and pulls away allowing you to flow into their space… James Bond never has trouble finding a space….
works for us… and James…. xx
Mr B can identify 99% of all cars from the pattern of its rear headlights in the dark. Very useful when trying not to fall asleep on the motorway. I get him to shout out the cars, some Japanese imports can be tricky….
No superpowers here, just very average ones. No one will play music quiz games with me, I am too formidable a foe.
I rather like my ability to be able to find things in the dark, I don’t know why, I guess I have one less sense so I concentrate more. If I need to get something while everyone is sleeping, the house being drenched in darkness, I can just navigate to the room and place my hand on the item, bingo!
One minor stumbling block, literally, Lego blocks versus bare feet, no contest for these mortal enemies, my concentration takes flight in a fluttering of mutterings, curses words being uttered under my breath. So definitely a fallible power.
Wow, what a lot of impressive superpowers you all have! :)
Moo, I’m sure tripping over lego is the curse of superheroes everywhere..hehe
My family know me as the ‘Green Light Fairy’ as traffic lights always seem obliged to speed me on my way when I am driving. My husband, by contrast, is the ‘Red Light Goblin’!
Hehehe…power over green lights would be wonderful! :)