Seeing things differently is a superpower

“If there’s anything that I would like to pass on to the younger generation: it’s the idea that seeing things differently is powerful …” Kyle Creek, aka The Captain

I attended a gathering for local writers a couple of weeks back. It was an opportunity for local authors to meet one another. I introduced myself by name and vocation to our coordinator, when a writer sitting across from me looked up from her computer screen and declared, “I’m an atheist.”

I hadn’t planned on distributing leaflets or trying to convert anyone, so I thought her greeting was a bit uncalled for. I don’t think fast on my feet and have learned not to let all the thoughts and responses that ricochet off the boulders that occupy the space between my ears come out of my mouth, so I smiled and simply said, “Good to know,” and sat down.

I presume her greeting was intended to avoid interacting with this stranger; I understand. Many writers are introverts and socially awkward. I count myself among them. I need time to size up a room and the people in it before opening my mouth, time to collect my thoughts, organize them, and edit them for both clarity and positivity. You would not believe just how rude and sarcastic my brain can be, so I’ve found it best to keep it caged and muzzled!

Holidays are hard enough without straining to inflict pain or misery on one another. The days are short and cold, so I find it necessary for my own mental health to be long on patience and warmth in the presence of others. Even when I don’t feel like it (and I often don’t “feel” like it), I think it is important to acknowledge where we’re at, at any given moment, but simultaneously strive to overcome the instinct to lash out, and exude as much forbearance as is required for any given situation.

I spoke with a woman the other day who exemplified what I’m talking about. She needed to return an item at a big box store and to pick up a small lightbulb. It was Black Friday, so she girded up her loins, expecting to do battle. When she got to the store, though, it was crowded, but people appeared to be ... happy? Happy! 

A father and his young daughter were standing in line having a delightful conversation. The cashier was cheerful and helpful. People were gathered around the Black Friday Specials bins, but without jostling one another for position or advantage, or fighting over limited supply items. She was able to make her return without a hassle. En route to find her bulb she came across a store employee walking past her in a silly, orange costume. “Are you a pumpkin?” she asked. 

The woman laughed and said, “No, I’m a turkey.” She turned and showed her tail feathers and continued on her way. 

My friend then found the light bulb aisle with its dizzying array of every bulb imaginable, and secured one of the folks from the paint division who helped her find the correct bulb, with the correct base – service with a smile.

“The store actually looked and felt festive,” she said, “and took me so by surprise. It put ME in a festive mood, too!”

If I have any advice here at this early stage of our holiday season, it would be to recognize that joy and cheer are superpowers that lie within the heart of most of us. This is not to dismiss grief, sadness, the deep gloom of depression, or high anxiety that afflicts so many. This isn’t a call to put on a brave face and deny what’s going on in heart and soul. 

We don’t know the burdens others carry, the wounds others have endured, the struggles others have faced, so if we can restrain ourselves even just a little bit, we may be of some little service to our friends and neighbors, our families and even strangers. Exercising just a little more grace in word and deed could well be the superpower our world needs right now.

Be kind and patient this season; it’s your superpower, and doesn’t even require a cape, costume, or turkey-tail-feathers. That’s good to know here in this, our valley.

Keith Axberg writes on matters concerning life and faith. Author of: Who the Blazes is Jesus? Good News for a Vulgar World (available through Amazon in Print and e-book)