Permission Slips

Remember permission slips--those little half-sheets from school to be signed and returned no later than 3:00PM Friday.  If you didn't have your form, you were screwed. I still see people searching for "permission" and here's my advice--sign your own paper. Don't wait for someone else's approval to get your hands dirty. You won't be graceful at first, but even the best start somewhere. Do you think Michael Jordan asked for permission before dribbling the ball to his neighborhood court?

Usually, we wait because we're afraid. Who wants to look like a fool? Then again, who's really making the mistake?  I'd rather be on the court missing shots than sitting in the bleachers laughing. It's like Double Dutch. For a while you just stand there watching. Then you figure out the pattern and calculate your entry. Finally, you jump in and pray you don't step on any ropes.  But if you never leap, what will you learn? What do you gain? You don't need any more signatures--only your own.

Date: August 31, 2013   

Signature: Brian Hertzog

Why We Love Superheroes

We love superheroes. Why? They're not real. They wear spandex for clothes. And, they spend half their time beating people up, so they can't play the nonviolence card. 

Even so, we spend millions of dollars every year on comic books, movie tickets, and yes, even those tin lunch boxes. Here's my theory. People love potential. We love fantasy. Even though we can't fly, watching someone else do it is almost as satisfying.

What does this mean? It means we should never feel like we have to hide. If we embody our best selves, we actually inspire other people to do the same. I've never met Batman, but boy I'd like to take a drive in his car. 

Imagination is such an underrated tool. When you stand for an idea, like justice, you become "more than just a man". It's why people are so obsessed with celebrities. These are just ordinary people, I promise you. Yet photographers are able to make a living off of pictures of Miley Cyrus yawning. Fascinating. 

Unleash your powers on the world. Let us buy lunch boxes of you. What separates the superheroes from the rest of us, is they always do the right thing.  They take the heat so we can stay cool. There's something to say there. I'm not suggesting that we should beat up bad guys or save the world to be recognized, but I'm saying we all have the potential. 

Use your imagination. What are your powers? It's a bird, it's a plane!  No, it's you.