Superhero

Ever since I could remember, I have always thought of my dad as a superhero. To this day, if I ever need something fixed, he puts it back together. Whether it is a pair of sunglasses, furniture, or a broken heart.

My father is a builder, as well as book lover. It amazes me how he spends so much time in the toolshed, making something out of nothing. I remember when I was a child; I would just watch him for hours on end—and if I ever got bored, I would go through his book collection.

One day in particular, when I was sifting through his library and came across Walter Benjamin’s “The Work of Art in the Age of Mechanical Reproduction”, I asked him if he envisions his art before it is built.

He laughed, pointing out a half finished piece of his wood art, and replied, “I was making something. It wasn't always an important something, sometimes just the piece of metal that holds something bigger in place.”

These words have stuck with me throughout my life. When times get particularly hard, I think about my father, and how he has the ability to create something beautiful out of the most unusual of things.

My father is not only an inspiration, but he is without a doubt my superhero.