by: Staci Stallings
I’m elbow-deep in The Imagination Series—writing Book 8 now. Book 7 is on preorder. Book 6 just released. So I’ve been thinking a lot about superpowers.
In the series, there are six main-ish characters. They are friends from high school. Each one has a superpower, and the idea of the series is how they each learn to use the gifts and talents that God gave them–their individual superpowers.
Now, by “superpower,” I don’t mean flying or running fast or being able to flip cars over for fun. What I mean is more mundane “powers” like writing songs and poetry, fixing up cars and doing spreadsheets. I think too many of us don’t give full credence to the things we can do that are truly special.
Sure, other people might be able to do them too. Some people might even be better at “our” thing than we are. But I think it’s important to recognize and support each other’s best qualities. To champion them. To cheer them. To encourage them.
So it’s interesting to me that what I thought the main idea of The Imagination Series would be—that we should work to use our superpower has really taken a backseat to the theme of learning to support and encourage each other’s superpowers.
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Recently through a crazy turn of events, my niece came to live with us as she started to teach at my son’s school. She’s not teaching any of his classes, but she has some students who are in his class. When she comes home, we often talk about how things are going at the school, things we’ve noticed, or things that we see that need to be fixed. So every day we are discussing how to do the education system better. We also talk about how we can best encourage others and how too often students who have real superpowers are not encouraged in what makes them most special and so they lose that or never develop it.
Add to this that my middle daughter is now a senior in college. She is taking Sports and Exercise Science, which is heavily physical-oriented. She’s done Anatomy & Physiology I and II, Kinesiology and now Bio-Mechanics. She will come to study a couple of times a week, and she will talk forever about getting adequate sleep or how to do an effective stretch or how to use nutrition to gain optimal health.
Then we have her boyfriend who is also in college learning music production. So he’ll be here playing beats on the midi-board and bending sound in crazy ways.
Of course, my son is the light show king, so he’s always doing some insane project like cutting 300 milk jugs and putting lights in them or reconfiguring Falcon boards to run sets of pixel lights that he’s designing.
You probably already have guessed that one of my superpowers is writing, and my husband does carpentry.
The other day my niece, who is also an artist, said, “I’ve decided I want to live in a house with geniuses. Not necessarily smart people like book smart, but people who are being creative and working together to help each other become even better at what they are good at.”
I was telling my daughter’s boyfriend about that one night, and he said, “That is so cool because that’s what your house is. Everybody comes and works on their stuff and we can go, ‘Hey, listen to this.’ Or ‘what do you think of this’ or ‘how would you say this,’ and we all are interested in what the other ones are doing.” Then he said, “Hey, you should write a book about that, about how to do that. You could call it…. ‘Become Me.’” HAHAHHAH! That’s when I told him the first book in this series is literally called “Becoming Me”!
He was floored. I thought it was funny.
Maybe life really does mirror art, or is it art mirroring life?
So I’m curious. What is your superpower? What things do you do really well? What do you love to do so much that you could just get lost in doing it for hours?
I’m making a list for my life class, and I’d love to include your superpower on it too! Please feel free to share and continue the conversation…
A stay-at-home mom with a husband, three kids and a writing addiction on the side, Staci Stallings has numerous titles for readers to choose from. Not content to stay in one genre and write it to death, Staci’s stories run the gamut from young adult to adult, from motivational and inspirational to full-out Christian and back again. Every title is a new adventure! That’s what keeps Staci writing and you reading. Although she lives in Amarillo, Texas and her main career right now is her family, Staci touches the lives of people across the globe with her various Internet and writing endeavors.
I would say that I’m a “multipotentialite,” someone who has middling gifts in a lot of areas but no expertise in any one. I’m a creative, so while my greatest superpower is with the written word, I also like to dabble in graphic design, scrapbooking, and the visual arts.
I am super organised, but there are a lot of things I give a good try to. Happy with that.
I am not sure. I think I am a good listener (yes I talk a lot but its cos I live alone with two cats) although I was always a talker. But last year while I cat sat the owner would come over here and we would chat and she could get things of her chest knowing I wouldn’t tell others and that she could vent. I have found that with others too. I do offer suggestions or we work on an issue together but don’t say you should do this or not and try not to be judgemental.
I am also good at budgeting its tough to make ends meet and there are things I need to improve but I know how to pay off my CC each month. I learnt from dad. He would shop special to special and if you cant afford it you save up. Just today I got 4 bottles of laundry detergent, 4 packs of two lots of cats treats (each half price), and a few other things 4 of each that were on really good specials. I have so many boxes of breakfast cereal I should be right for 8 months! But it was half price a box. Today I saved over $38. I have a friend who wants some help mostly due to not being taught how to budget.
I’m always going something with children. Daycare, nursery at church, balloon animals for church outreach or vbs.
I also like to sew
Can reading be a superpower, lol?? I am actually a bit of an organizer, keeping things straight, so would make that my self proclaimed super power!
My superpower is being able to take care of bills for Mom, especially doctor bills. I worked in the medical field for over 25 years, and know how things work. I especially know how Mom’s insurance works, so I can make sure we don’t overpay. I also have no problem talking to her doctor’s or their staff and getting things done that need to be done, or not having unnecessary things done, as the case may be! I’m sometimes surprised at what they think we should do, verses how I know the insurance works.
I dabbled in a lot of creative pursuits over the years before I settled on writing as my main outlet. I used to sew and do counted cross-stitch and other embroidery (I sold Creative Circle needlework kits years ago), but I can’t see well enough to do fine work anymore. I also created stained glass windows and decorations as a business for a while (thirty years ago)! I enjoy cooking and baking and testing new recipes, which is also a creative pursuit.
I enjoy painting and decorating and am gearing up to completely redo the look of our bathroom. New tub installed this weekend, so the palette is nearly ready! I’ve also designed the kitchen renovations in the last two houses we’ve owned. Mostly I rebuild/redecorate my websites, not my house, anymore!
But most of my creative juice goes into my books and the pieces that surround them these days. Drawing maps and floorplans, which I’ve always loved to do, now have a use. And I enjoy playing with graphics programs to make memes for stories. Cover design, however, I’ll leave to the professionals!
I think sometimes being good at (even if not great at) many different things allows you to put the pieces together differently than someone who is great at one thing. I’m definitely expanding my field of study in many directions right now. So cool to see how the pieces fit.
Very cool! Was just lamenting my lack of organization to my niece last night. I’m working on getting my desk not to avalanche on me all the time… and being able to see the bottom strip on my screen. :D Small steps in the right direction and all of that.
That’s SO COOL!!!! My mother-in-law was a couponer back in the day, and she actually once used so many coupons that they had to pay her to take the groceries! :D
And WOW! Is listening and being a safe space for people SUCH a HUGE superpower! You are more of a blessing than you probably realize. God is using you in a BIG way. I love how He does that!
Cool, Diana. I like older kids– teens. Young kids are definitely not my specialty, so it’s great to know that other people have that particular superpower!
Sewing is starting to be a lost art. Keep it up and teach someone else. :D
God bless!
Paula Marie, I LOVE IT!
YES, reading is DEFINITELY a superpower! I was just reading a bit ago and it’s interesting because two of the books were printed back in like the 70’s and 80’s. One was back in the late 50’s. I think it’s cool to take in the ideas of other people and assimilate them into your own life and journey. That’s the power of reading!
And I definitely do NOT have the superpower of organizing and keeping things straight. Glad someone has that one!
Wow, that’s an amazing superpower, Trudy! I wish we could clone you as a patient advocate. I know a couple of people who could really use that expertise right now. Just being present enough to help is awesome!
God bless you for your work with your mom!
HAHAHAH on the cover design. Me too!
I often wish I had time to draw up floorplans for the houses and apartments I picture in my head. It’s not too bad over one book, but when you get into a 10 book series, remembering what that house looked like in book 2 is a real challenge.
I don’t cook or bake or do stained glass work. I used to do cross-stitch and loved it, but my eyes don’t like doing that stuff anymore.
But I think all of those are really cool superpowers! You are a Renaissance woman!
Definitely telling a story for me. Your series sounds great.
I sorry to say I haven’t read any of your books yet, but they sound like some I would love ❤️ . I will be checking them out.
That’s mine too! Praying all your stories are awesome today and every day!
HAHHHA, Brenda! I believe everyone finds my books at the exact right time. Maybe it’s just that time for you.
Prayers for a blessed day!