Dorothy Wilhelm – copyright 2013
You missed corn on the cob day yesterday. Your activity of laughter is to talk to some of the older people you see and ask them what corn cobs were used for in the good old days. But now today, here’s something to get your teeth into. Today is SUPERMAN DAY!
by Dorothy Wilhelm – copyright 2012 
I’m really disappointed in Superman. The action hero came to earth from the Planet Krypton when I was four years old. I felt we’d practically grown up together. But he let me down in my hour of need.
That hour came on a late Friday afternoon in spring of 1946 when the 7th grade children from my Bryant Elementary School class met with counterparts from St. Joseph’s Parochial School for our weekly theological discussion and fist fight. We started by pelting each other with names that would certainly not be considered politically correct today. This quickly escalated to blows, bricks and garbage when available. Girls were main competitors until we reached Jr. Hi age. So I was lying there on the sidewalk with Timmy Groh’s knee in my mouth, as was my Friday afternoon custom. Next to me, Pansy McCormic was beating Dick Stacy on the head with her world geography book. These were not years when you ran to your parents about trouble with other children. We were expected to work it out for ourselves and we were expected not to get home too early either. Luckily, we were all really inept. We tended to deliver blows to the forehead of our opponent with fist folded under as if tapping a melon for ripeness so there was little permanent damage but it did take a lot of the joy away from Fridays.
So while I was lying there trying to keep my front tooth from being dislodged by Timmie’s knee, I remembered something important. In reading my favorite comic, I had noticed that Superman’s great powers were conferred by his costume because when he was dressed in his whimpy Clark Kent outfit, he couldn’t even peel a banana. In his Superman regalia, he was invincible. Based on this discovery, my contemporaries and I spent the week making ourselves Superman costumes from red and blue crepe paper. The next Friday, fully outfitted and making an unexpectedly attractive and visible target, we marched down Mallon Avenue to face our foes. They destroyed us even more quickly than usual. I had to accept the idea that clothes may make the man, but the costume doesn’t make a Superman – or woman.
Even then I was a big proponent of avoiding the truth just as long as humanly possible, or slightly longer. While I was musing, we all graduated, went to different schools and the Friday afternoon discussions faded. I went on fighting for truth and justice in my own inept way, battling unjust parking tickets, intransigent condo boards and other petty tyrants.
. This year, the new Superman movie was released. It streaked in and out of theaters faster than a speeding bullet. “Superman is lost, angry, and frustrated,” one critic complained.” Heck. Who isn’t? At 75, he’s past due for his first midlife crisis (Superman, not the critic).
Last week business columnist Liz Zielinski wrote that our progress is sometimes stalled by our trying to continue doing what we think we’re good at. She went on to say, “As the world changes around us our goal should become not to try to get back to who we were in the good old days “but to actually replace what we thought was a best practice with a better one.” In other words, learn new skills for where we are now. I hate it when another writer makes so much sense.
It’s been hard for me to face that I occasionally need some help keeping my balance when I walk. Last week my physical therapist decreed that I must keep a cane with me at all times. And use it. A cane!! “I always have one with me,” I said, virtuously. “Try taking it out of the car,” he replied.
So I sent away for a folding cane. It snaps to full length with a sound like d’Artagnan’s sword and is covered with a gorgeous purple design. This is not a cane, it’s a fashion accessory which fits nicely in a slightly oversize purse. All of my purses are slightly oversized so I’ve just reinvented myself. Your turn.
I probably won’t see the Superman movie. He needs to grow up. I can tell you one thing, If Superman keeps trying to leap tall buildings at a single bound, he’s going to need a hip replacement very soon.
Dorothy Wilhelm’s website is www.itsnevertoolate.com Reach her at 1-800-548-9264 or PO Box 881, DuPont, WA 98327. ">Email Dorothy.She is the author of a teeny tiny book, No Assembly Required.http://budurl.com/SupermanDay
Last year, the latest Superman movie was released. It streaked in and out of theaters faster than a speeding bullet. “Superman is lost, angry, and frustrated,” one critic complained.” Heck. Who isn’t? At 75, he’s past due for his first midlife crisis (Superman, not the critic).
In modern times the popularity of this cartoon character is universal, but an event that helped spread his fame in the early days of his superhero career was Superman Day. New York staged a World Fair in 1939-40 and it was during this that the day first was held. Allan Ducovny came up with the concept, which saw the very first live appearance of Superman in full costume as a promotional idea for DC’s special edition World Fair comic.
The day is the perfect opportunity for fans around the world to show their love for the character. So don a Superman costume and party with some friends to honor the man of steel on his special day. Alternatively check out some of the official events that take place each year for the chance to join thousands of other fans in celebrating the comic book life of the greatest superhero.