You Have A Super Power

True story...

It was early morning, two days after Mardi Gras in New Orleans. I had just arrived the night before from Houston to participate in a used oil conference. I had never been here before so I curiously took it all in. As I walked, I was taken by the shop owners cleaning their respective business areas as the city recovered from its carnal hangover. Canal Street, itself, wreaked of a sour musky unpleasant tang that seemed to permeate from her very pores.

Less than forty-eight hours removed I could almost feel her still wincing at the morning sun, ostensibly, yearning for a refreshing cold glass of water and two aspirin…regretting the previous nights of heavy debauchery. I had missed all the fun but there was evidence, all around me, that a very big party had just transpired in this city.

Walking with purpose in an unseasonably cold climate I clung to a newly bought, untouched, hot cup of Starbucks coffee in my hand. As I walked, I marveled at the sheer toughness of the homeless that slept in between the doorways of some unopened businesses. It was a frigid and unforgiving morning and my heart ached for each human being that I saw either sleeping or sitting in these frigid elements.

I thought twice about complaining about my hotel bed. As I crossed Baronne Street, making my way towards the historical Astor Crowne Plaza, I met the deep brown and yellow stained eyes of a six foot four homeless man who walked up beside me wrapped in a soiled blanket that reeked of dried urine and body odor.

He was weathered and mean looking but walked with a swag as if he owned the streets. He sized me up as I walked and judged me with a certain disdain. “Yeah, I know...you aint got nothin!” He spat. I noticed his fingernails. They were long, thick and covered with a lifetime’s worth of dark grime.

I looked him in the eyes. “I’m sorry…I don’t.” I said. I really didn’t. I had no bills on me...just my debit and credit cards. In that moment I thought of taking him to breakfast or buying him a meal but before I could offer anything he raised his voice in a snarling raspy growl. “THEN KEEP ON STEPPIN'... YOU DIRTY BITCH!”

I was startled, at first, by how malevolent he was. Was this some kind of new tactic to get a hand out, New Orleans style? “Keep on walkin' den!" He barked. "You a bitch aintcha boy?”

I moved ahead of him a few feet. He was now baiting me, trying to get a rise out of me. He heightened his remarks. “You a fu_ _ ing little bitch. Yeah, keep on walking.” He had to be suffering from some kind of mental illness or was he?

Now I’m not a "little" anything and I’m certainly not what he was calling me but I did...keep on walking until I got about five yards ahead of him when something began to boil and rise up within me. This man was now testing my very manhood. I felt a rage stirring in my belly that I hadn’t felt in years. He kept grumbling insults from behind me spewing his crazy nonsense. I was now feeling threatened. The hair on the back of my neck was rising up and I stopped and rested my coffee on a magazine vending machine.

He stopped as well. I looked at him with no fear and slowly and methodically zipped up my coat. I never took my eyes off of him and found myself clenching my teeth in bridled anger. As I examined him I could see his desperate, distressed wild eyes acknowledging the tension that was now building among us. He nodded at me. “Whatchu gonna do...bitch?” He snarled and spat a large wad of milky green mucous on the ground. He had nothing to lose and knew it. It was in that very moment that I completely lost it…

The steaming hot cup of coffee hit him in his face before he could blink and I was on top of him with an unmatched fury and flurry of MMA style elbows and knees to his body and face. He screamed in agony as he crumbled to the ground begging for mercy. I couldn’t stop. My knuckles tore into the flesh of his cheek bones as I yelled curse words and vulgarities of my own…

* * * * * *

Actually, I gingerly walked up to him and offered up my hot cup of coffee. He accepted it. “Hang in there, man.” I said warmly. He winked at me and grinned a toothless smile saying. “I will…you little bitch.” I couldn’t stop the laugh that bubbled from within me. We both shared in a brief chuckle together and I left him there that cold Thursday morning with my true super power still fully intact.

There are moments in life when people will try to steal or take your super power. A boss, a co-worker, a spouse, a gatekeeper, a cold call recipient, that stranger who cuts us off in traffic, or even an angry aggressive homeless person...they all have the potential to steal or take it. So, you ask, what is this super power I speak of? Well it's something that we all innately have within us as long as we simply choose it.

That super power is our abounding joy. Our joy is something that should be shared and not taken. No one has a right to it unless it's freely given. In business or in our personal lives that inner joy is a precious and very real power that belongs to each of us. We alone decide who can have it.

I like what James has to say in the Bible. He says we should consider it pure joy whenever we face trials of various kinds. I know this seems difficult and hard when a tough circumstance confronts us but there is no greater empowering feeling then when we experience the bridled discipline of not letting someone or some thing take our super power and instead we share our joy in the face of that difficult situation.

The joy that James speaks of is a pure joy which means that it is a power that is complete, whole and thorough not just the surface kind that exists when things are going fine but one that is impervious to the people and circumstances that test us every single day. Letting negative situations, negative people and the negative things people say and do simply roll off our backs with our joy still intact is a real super power skill that can be possessed by all. It is simply a choice we need to make in those trying moments. It takes a whole lot of practice but don't worry there will be no shortage of opportunities for you to use your new found super power on.

You see, anger, resentment and disappointment can not exist in our lives without our expressed permission. There is no need to choose those reactions because all they do is fan the flames of discontent. An honest and sincere introspection will reveal that all three of those emotions are centered and rooted in self and selfish attributes. They really are just self preserving reactions sprung to life by our inconveniently unmet expectations. Joy, real joy, replaces these emotions when we genuinely put others before ourselves.

Regardless of our past or present negative experiences, people or tough circumstances...no one or no thing has the right to steal our joy. All too often we are simply quick to give it up to anyone or anything that we might encounter. Our joy should never be taken from us but it should always be shared. In our difficult trying moments, it's our joy that becomes a force field of power that overtakes a tough scenario with grace, understanding, forgiveness and selflessness that actually protects you and others around you from harm. There are great blessings in this unselfish act and I encourage us all to seek to grow in this beautiful discipline. It's the make up and character of a real life super hero. If you pursue this awesome strength within you, I promise it will empower and enable you to experience an unimaginable, authentic and real purpose driven personal and professional life. It's one of the real secrets to happiness.

Don't let anyone or anything steal your joy today but freely share it. The world needs super heroes like you.

Many blessings dear friends. Joy to the world!~ Jason Versey

I AM A BlogPoet at BlogPoets.com

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