Superpower . . . as a kid

First official blog by me – Sue Hiser, and it has to be memorable.  What better way to begin then with a discussion of SUPERPOWERS!  I read a book recently and one of the questions posed was, “What was your super power as a kid?”  This is a twist on the classic question to ask others, “If you could have any super power, what one would you want?”  To add the element of a childhood super power adds restrictions but also an interesting lens to review your childhood.  Suddenly that odd thing you were known for as a child is not odd, but a superpower and a better identity than nerd, geek, outsider, loaner.  When I think of being a kid I think of who I was before age 12 because that is a magic time, or at least it was for me.  I experienced the world differently at that time.

I grew up when kids moved around places easily with no supervision and limitations were just parameters for discovery.  Slipping through a crowd was easy.  Exploring a large ferry as it moved across a span of water was an adventure, not a fear of going overboard or being snatched by someone – no door was off limits because a wide-eyed youthful blank stare and a mumbled apology could get you out of nearly everything.  Hedges weren’t designed to keep you out, they were for exploring and for slipping through with your little brother in tow or if he was in the lead you were just trying to protect the little guy.  But for all that action there is the simplicity of my childhood super power – reading.

I read voraciously as a child.  The library and the book mobile were my escapes, especially in the summer.  In our house we entered with a stack of books and all of us would disappear to our favorite reading corner to devour our interests through the written word.  When I read I blocked out all noise and disturbances.  I read as soon as I sat on the school bus, as soon as I entered the school room and potentially during lunch and all breaks.  I’ve continued to read as an adult and am happiest when I have a stack of books near me or am in the library.  Reading is as natural to me as breathing and someone told me that’s what I should blog about – the books I read. The woman who suggested this has a young family and no time to read.  She planted a seed in me with her comment.  I’ll share old and new books, plus some of the ideas blended together.

What do I read? Primarily non-fiction and typically 3-5 books at a time, but I do so because reading good fiction is too disruptive.  In fiction I have to know the end, and cliff-ending chapters leave me staring into the dark wondering what is happening while I sleep.  I don’t eat well nor do I exercise as well when I read fiction.  A great memory for me is reading a Harry Potter book on the back patio, a hot summer’s day and the pages are smudged by cheese curl fingers and chocolate chip cookies that melted in the sun.  With non-fiction I usually have water and fruit near bye.

So join me as I share what I read.  Let me know your superpower, especially your childhood superpower, and tell me how you’re using it now.