Global Masked Hero Sightings Expected

I recently joined a very exclusive club. Now I know I shouldn't be talking about it, but since I didn't sign any non-disclosure agreements or official secrets documents I'm going to go out on a limb and out myself and the rest of our club. Find your secret decoder ring, it’s in that shoe box under your bed, and keep reading below.

Now that you've passed the secret decoder test you are now officially authorized to know us. We are people with noticeable and sometimes hidden disabilities.

You've "not seen" us everywhere, I'm sure. We're in your schools and workplaces. We're at your health clubs and supermarkets. We're traversing your sidewalks and mega-malls. If you're like most people, you haven't seen us. Why? Because we're invisible. That's right—invisible.

I actually joined the club a few years ago when I started using the electric shopping cart at Costco to do my shopping. I have a hidden disability made up of a severely degenerative spine and fibromyalgia. Walking from the far end of the parking lot, then up and down the aisles, waiting in line to check out, and walking back to the car uses up about 150% of my energy for the day. That means if I don't use the electric cart, I'll end up spending the rest of the day in bed when I get home.

I was already very self-conscious about using the electric cart; afraid of the judging glances I'd get because I appear to be an able-bodied person. To my surprise, I realized I actually had a "Super Power." I was INVISIBLE. Not only did no one seem to notice me on my electric cart I noticed some people were actually compelled to look away from me by the sheer strength of my super power.

They say children can hold onto magic that most of we adults lose the ability to see as we grow older. I know that to be true because even though I was obviously invisible, all of the children around the store could see me. Many of the young ones smiled, perhaps in on the magic that their parents couldn't see. Some seemed to be approaching that un-magical age where they looked confused at me, like maybe they could almost see me, then they nervously looked away. Some parents, perhaps still semi-sensitive to the magic around them could see that their children were looking at "something" and shushed them, telling them to look somewhere else. Maybe they too could still see that glimmer of magic that surrounded me, but forgot what it meant.

With my young heart in an older body and now wide open eyes to the magic in the world around me, I started noticing other masked heroes everywhere. My gods, we WERE everywhere. I saw eight other masked heroes in the store that day. Saw them right through their cloak of invisibility, and smiled at them. They looked surprised! They smiled back. I said "Hi" to them and wished them a good afternoon. They said "Hi" back!

That seemed to surprise others around me. They were hearing a conversation when there was obviously no one else around them. Again, some seemed to see that glimmer of magic and I saw a smile cross their faces. A few, a small few it seemed, actually SAW me then. Grown up people. Imagine that.

I realized my mission on that day. My mission was to help others regain that lost magic. Next time you're out and about look at the world around you with your younger eyes. NOTICE the superheroes around you. Say hi to them. Ask them how their day is going. Wish them a wonderful day. Thank them for being superheroes, after all they just gave you a super power too. The ability to see invisible people.

Some Of Us Can Change The World

Not too long ago, the world was filled with magic.

But people stopped believing.

They all believed in a lesser world,

A world without magic.

Some of us still believe in magic. Some of us still see the wonder.

Some of us can CHANGE THE WORLD.

—Craig Braquet