Nobody will ever actually get a superpower, but somehow everyone takes these questions very seriously. The "If You Could Only Have One" theme in our app Infinite Balance has six of them, so here's what I picked.
1. Flying or breathing underwater?
Flying. Every time I'm stuck on a bus in rush-hour traffic, I think about it.
I asked a friend, and she said underwater right away. You can see the sky from any plane window, she said, but you can't stay under the ocean for long no matter how much you pay. Fair point. It made me wobble for a second. Then I thought about the bus again, and I'm sticking with flying.
2. Speak every language or play every instrument?
Languages. On a trip once, I pointed at something on a menu with no pictures, and what came out was nothing like what I expected. I remember staring at the half-eaten plate thinking, if I could just read this, none of this would have happened.
3. Feel a loved one's pain for them, or double their happiness?
This is the one I went back and forth on the most.
At first I leaned toward taking the pain. When someone in my family is sick, the worst part is not being able to do anything. But then I flipped it around. If I knew someone was hurting in my place, I'd feel so bad about it that it would make things worse.
So I switched to doubling their happiness. What about you?
4. Talk to animals or talk to plants?
Plants. I've killed about three houseplants so far, and I never figured out if it was too much water or not enough sun. I'd just like to ask one, once.
I told my mom this, and she said, "You don't need a superpower. Just water them less." I didn't have a comeback.
5. Freeze time or rewind it?
Rewind. About once a week I hit send and immediately think, "Why did I say that?" Ten seconds back is all I'd ever want.
6. Ace every test or win every sport?
Sports. I was always one of the last kids picked for teams in gym class, and I still remember it. Tests stop when you graduate, but people keep asking you to play pickup games as an adult.
I am curious about the people who pick tests, though. Is there an exam coming up? Or is it something left over from school?
My picks were flying, languages, double the happiness, plants, rewind, and sports. How many did we share? A new theme goes up in Infinite Balance every week, so if you want more questions like these, grab it here.