Perspective

Do you remember when you were a little kid, you would grab your toy cars, or toy dolls (in my case they were mostly cars) and you would build racing tracks in the sand; you would have complete control over those cars, and the tracks would become a world on its own.

Or... I had a few dolls too, and my sister and I used to build little houses inside drawers, stacking the drawers in a fashion that would resemble a neighbourhood, complete with streets.  This would obviously entertain us for hours (or until her doll made my doll mad, and then we would refuse to talk to each other for a while).

I reckon it's pretty safe to say that, at some point in everyone's life, you've constructed a mini-world around you, and you were the ruler of that world.  Everything was small enough for you to control, and nothing was so big that it freaked you out.

And then we grow up, and we allow things to freak us out all the time.  I know there are quite a few things in our lives nowadays that cause us to hyperventilate, become insecure or force us to curl up in bed.  I'm not here to diminish the problems and pain you may be going through, but I want you to do one thing...just one thing:  Take one step back; and if one step isn't enough, take two, or three.  Does that thing look even a little bit smaller?  Is it small enough to fit onto your race track in the sand?  Just a little bit, I hear you say?

Well...that's progress!

Gaining perspective on the things that are in our lives is a surefire way of keeping yourself sane and healthy, but you can't do it alone.  Surround yourself with people you trust; people that are NOT freaked out by the same things you are.  Chances are they'll help you see the loopholes; help you see it for what it truly is.

Now...go stand on your head and look at the world!

To Infinity and Beyond

When it comes to remembering dates and things, I really am not as good as society says I'm supposed to be.  So I won't be able to tell you exactly when my fascination with superheroes and science fiction began.  The one thing I can tell you, is that it was long after I left school. 

I skipped the comic-book fase and went straight for the series and movies.

It may have been Jessica Alba as Dark Angel that made me want to be a super-powered, highly skilled, genetically engineered soldier (all the while rockin' the sexy like it's the most natural thing on the planet!).  But I've always favoured Superman.  Always.

So, I got to thinking: IF (and it's a big "if") I get chosen by the Universe to receive awesome ass-kicking powers, what would they be? How would I use them?  And more importantly, what would I be called?

This is why I decided to submit a list of the powers I'd most like to  possess, in the hope that the Universe would glance at it and decide to surprise me for Christmas (or my birthday...I'm not picky!)

Top of my list would have to be the ability to fly.  How amazing would it be to zip around the world, seeing everything from high up above?  And I honestly don't care about the lame, real-world excuses that scientists have been making for why flying is a skill we'd very likely never explore.  I want to fly!

Next, I'd defintely want to be super strong.  Yes, I'd lift things off people and animals to save them, but...the satisfaction of seeing the look on some beefcake's face when I effortlessly match and top their skill...well...that's all the reward I'd need!

And then I would love to be extremely good at learning new skills.  As in, REALLY good.  Do I even have to explain how freakishly awesome this would be?

But then I realised, I already had a superpower!  I know, I know, it's just one, but I'm working on it.

Hold on to your chairs, your office desks, your hover crafts; here it is:

I'm really good at organising; and the more work you give me, the more I get done.  *THUMP*...that's the sound of coolness, expectation and hope hitting the floor.  Yes, I have the lamest superpower on the planet.

I have managed to find myself a name though:  Snowball; because snowballs move faster when they gather more snow.  Get it? Get it? Ah, forget it, even the name is lame.

Maybe I should try timetravel...control the essence of time?

Right, back to the drawing board.