What are you waiting for?

     Yesterday morning, the kiddos, (Boy Wonder and Boo) were watching The Incredibles. This is a great show put out by Pixar. In our house it is often referred to as "The Impossibles!", the result of a little slip of the tongue one day that stuck. The key characters are a family of superheros with superpowers who are trying to live an ordinary life, since "supers" are no longer wanted by society. 
     If you've never watched it, I would recommend it. If you've seen it before, it's worth a rewatch. Besides the obvious superhero and James Bond nods, see how many other film, T.V., radio and literature references are there. If you think you already know all those, look for the inclusion of Pixar's other films. They are there. In addition to the multiple references, there are a multitude of messages, hidden, sometimes not so subtly throughout the movie. Here's an example. Right before I had to leave, the following scene flashed across the T.V.


[Bob notices the little boy on the tricycle staring at him for the second day in a row]
Bob: Well, what are *you* waiting for?
Little Boy on Tricycle: I don't know. Something amazing, I guess.
Bob: Me too, kid.


     It is a profound scene, stuck in the middle of a very entertaining movie. Kids expect the amazing all the time. By the time we become adults, we have been ground down, worn on, and pounded into submission so that we no longer expect the amazing. Many of us spend our entire adult lives waiting on something amazing. How sad. How pitiful.
     We live in an incredible world, full of mystery and wonder. Science is making discoveries that boggle the understanding. New species are still being discovered. Islands appear and disappear. Glaciers grow and retreat. Nature blasts us and blesses us, always defying the predictions. Relationships blossom and grow, or grow cold and die. Men and women defy the odds in sports, in exploration, in health, in life and in death.
     How can we not be amazed? I don't understand. If you are spending your life waiting for something amazing, you are wasting your time. We get one chance on this terrestrial ball, and we can make it amazing. We can be an Incredible spouse or parent, and an Amazing teacher or friend. It's up to us!
     It's been said that impossible means we just haven't figured it out yet. Putting a man on the moon was once considered impossible. Mapping the human genome was once considered impossible. Ending slavery in America was once considered impossible.
     If your life isn't amazing, you aren't trying for the "impossible."  Find a way to make the impossible possible. Start with yourself. Start with your family. Start with your house or your street. We have the blessing of living in a time and place where the amazing occurs all the time. Take a little time today to count your blessings. Let your family know that you think they are Incredible. They put up with you! Find your piece of amazing and make it possible!