Not All Superheroes Wear Capes
There is a superpower that we all possess:
Kindness
Kindness isn’t grandiose. It’s in the sweetness of a small, unexpected moment that captures someone’s attention and warms their heart. We think of superpowers as these godly possessions but we all possess the capability to access these “powers” at any moment.
We just have to be willing to take action when the moment arrives.
That moment arrived for me recently when I was about to take off for a flight. A mother and her teenage daughter sat down next to me. I was seated by the window, the mother next to me and the daughter in the aisle seat. As I was preparing to put on some headphones and listen to a podcast, I overheard them talking about the seating arrangements. Her mother explained that she booked the flights a while back and chose the aisle seat instead of the window. The daughter, probably in her early teens, looked disappointed that she wasn't able to sit by the window.
A few moments later the mother turned to me and asked me if I could open the shade so her daughter could peer out the window. She said, “She hasn’t been on a plane since she was two.”
At that moment, the “feeling” surfaced. You know the one because you’ve felt it before. I could sense the mother wanting to bond with her daughter. I could sense the daughter needing a spark of happiness.
I turned to the daughter and asked, “Would you like to sit by the window?” Her eyes opened wide and her smile stretched the length of her face. Her mom was caught off guard by the gesture and said, “Really? Thank you!”
It turns out it was a special mother-daughter trip for the daughter's birthday.
Like the Superheroes we love watching in movies, we must act immediately when the feeling hits us. Otherwise, we miss our chance to share that gift with others.
The gift we often enjoy getting.
Something that might seem meaningless to us but it could mean the world to someone else. A small gesture of kindness can awaken that power in others and spread it more often.
Maybe it’s giving up our seats.
Maybe it’s complimenting someone.
Maybe it’s sitting next to someone that is lonely.
Kindness isn’t structured or staged. It’s spontaneous. It's how it should be. Superpowers are given to us to use for good. We just never know when the time will strike. When it does. When that feeling hits us. We are all equipped to jump in and save someone.
We might not be flying into a burning building but we could be providing a glimmer of hope for someone in need.
That’s the type of stuff heroes are made of.
It’s the type of stuff we are all made of if we are willing to act on the feeling when it arises.
just get started,
Brian