As I watched my Chiefs lose in a bittersweet ending to an otherwise fantastic football weekend, I saw a commercial announcing that the show Heroes would be returning in a week or so.

During the show's initial run of season one, I balked at the idea of watching it--it was on during a time slot very firmly held by 24, my original television love. My first thought was blatant X-Men ripoff. Well, I finally ended up watching the first season in 2-3 sittings when Drew bought the DVD. It was actually quite enjoyable and managed to stay interesting up until the last episode.

Anyway, seeing the commercial took me back to one of my daydreams I had while watching the show. Every little kid has pondered this question a million times, often with varying results.

What superhero power do you wish you had?

What a great question. It is fun to think about, for one thing, but also really interesting to consider why we would choose a certain super power.

The obvious super power to choose from Heroes would be that of Peter Petrelli. His powers allow him to take on the powers of any other 'hero' he comes in contact with. He's a walking sponge of awesomeness, pretty much. It's like asking the genie who gives you three wishes to give you more wishes. Can't blame me here.

After that one, the decision becomes a bit more difficult.

You have Matt Parkman with the interesting ability to read minds. That would be extremely convenient in a number of selfish ways. You could always know what people think about you, you could always be prepared and have the right thing to say. Think Mel Gibson in What Women Want, haha. You would probably be the world's best poker player. Could be a great police interrogator (like Parkman's character on the show) or as a football coach, you could always know what play the other team would call (although Bill Belichick didn't need superpowers to manage this one.) You could do a lot of good with this one, but most of the examples I gave show how mind reading would really just be cheating at life :D

Another interesting ability I could take on would be that of young Claire. Her rapid cell regeneration, or super-fast-ridiculous-healing for the uninformed, would offer some potentially interesting adventures. On top of not really ever getting sick and a nice lack of the bad parts of aging, I could begin a career as the world's greatest stuntman.

I'm not trying to advertise the show or anything. I like it and all, but it's far from something I'm fanatical about. I just think it is interesting that we so often wish we had the ability to be more than what we are. We're not content with being the person that we were made to be, so we fantasize about fiction. Don't get me wrong, there's nothing wrong with getting wrapped up in a good story. Sometimes, though, handling awkward situations with ease can be a good enough super power. Or having enough courage to be vulnerable.

Have a good day/night, whenever this finds you.