My youngest granddaughter will be seven soon. Since she was
old enough to speak, she’s been one steady stream of questions. It can be quite
a challenge to answer them. Two Sundays ago, she hit me with, “Nana, if you had a
superpower, what would it be?” When she asked why sea water is salty, I Googled
it and learned the salt in the ocean comes from runoff, from openings in the
sea floor, and underwater volcanoes. What really floored me was finding out we
didn’t know WHY sea water is salty until 1979. So, if six-year-old me had asked
my grandparents this question, I might have been told a myth. There are Greek
and Norse folktales that would serve. For the record, if I could choose a
superpower – I realize nearly all superheroes DON’T get a choice – it would be
the power to heal others. Evie would choose telekinesis. I’m afraid to ask why.
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