My superpower

I was hanging out with a couple of girlfriends tonight and we started a silly conversation about our superpowers. Except it turned out not to be so silly. Not at all.

T's superpower is that she can speak her mind, honestly and fully, without hurting people's feelings. She is so articulate, so smart, and so in tune with the other person's viewpoint, that she can deliver those hard truths we all need to hear sometimes in a way that actually gets positive results. And she's never afraid to do it, either. Nothing fake about her. Truly amazing.

R's superpower is that she is always thinking of what other people need, even if they may not even realize it yet themselves, and figuring out a way to give it to them. She can get the most stubborn or independent-minded friend to accept the help they need in hard times. She's a supreme caretaker.

They said my superpower is the way that I draw people to me by making each one feel special. I focus my attention on a person, looking them in the eye, never glancing away while they are speaking. I'm not superficial, or bubbly, or fake; I get to know people on a deeper level from the first moment. The people who know me know that I am selective, so when I choose someone, they feel their own specialness that earned them that friendship. I don't know if I am explaining this very well, but it blew me away when they told me.

I think my real superpower in life is that I have friends who give me these kinds of gifts.