It has been the debate of many children, and adults alike, for decades now. Sometimes, entire play-days are suspended because the discussions get so intensely fierce. The opinions are far and wide, the slants, the slides, the viewpoints. Everyone has their perspective on an answer, which, in the end, depends wholly on the individual’s own abilities.
The question?
What would be your Super Power?
I’m a bit of an expert on the topic, having been a wide array of Super Heroes in my day. I’ve played at Batman, Superman, Spiderman. I’ve spent countless hours as Aquaman. Some seem ridiculous, but the list is endless. Others are formidable. Ironman, The Green Lantern, Wolverine, and The Shadow. I even have experience in real life arenas, such as Thor, Hercules, Davey Crockett, and Daniel Boone. So, as you can see, my resume is stacked. It didn’t stop as a child. I ran the gamut with my two grandkids.
But during all of these years of experience, I always go back and forth in answering that age-old question. What would be your Super Power?
As I mentioned, sometimes it depends on where a “person” is in real life. Sometimes, I want psychic powers. Other occasions, I’ve wanted to communicate with animals, or have super strength, speed, or shape-shifting.
But the other night, I figured out the ultimate Super Power / Super Hero there is.
SkunkMan. SkunkWoman. The Skunk. You get it.
It hit me the other night as I was taking the dogs out before bed. Well, it didn’t hit me. It hit our dog Ollie. Horribly, right in her face. We had a mess on our hands, as Ollie spit and slobbered and foamed, scraping her face on every surface imaginable.
Moments earlier, Ollie barked at the skunk, acted menacing toward the skunk. And that very calm skunk turned, and with one squirt, rendered her completely useless.
And, THAT, would be my super power.
Imagine. Just imagine the possibilities.
You’re having a conversation with someone, and they are barking their point filled with misinformation and irrational thinking, to the point of obstinance and rudeness? One squirt, and they will remember your point for days or even weeks to come.
Someone attacking someone else, verbally or otherwise? The Skunk to the rescue. No podium would be out of reach.
Skunks don’t stink when they are just hanging out. And they aren’t bad looking either. They have cute little faces, and their dye job is amazing. But skunks do have their weaknesses. They don’t see very well, and they can’t run very fast (10 mph). But otherwise. Talk to the tail.
My new super power, I think. I’ll stink.
As for Ollie, she is recovering, and so are we. Mary bathed her in the magic hydrogen peroxide, baking soda, dish soap elixir. She seemed to have learned her lesson, until the next night, when she ran right for the same spot to exact her revenge.
It has happened to our dogs before, it will most likely happen again.
The way of the stink. It is super powerful. Trust me.
=========
“Odors have a power of persuasion stronger than that of words, appearances, emotions, or will. The persuasive power of an odor cannot be fended off, it enters into us like breath into our lungs, it fills us up, imbues us totally. There is no remedy for it.”
― Patrick Süskind, Perfume: The Story of a Murderer
=========
“Each day has a color, a smell.”
― Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni, The Mistress of Spices
=========
“You can dress up greed, but you can’t stop the stench.”
― Craig D. Lounsbrough
=========
