I recently wrote about invisibility and how most people – even those who are shy or insecure – really don’t want that characteristic. They want to be seen and appreciated for their skills and contributions.

That got me thinking further about the whole topic of invisibility, but from a different perspective. What if invisibility were a superpower, like in the 2004 movie The Incredibles where the daughter Violet could turn invisible at will?

Actually, if it were a superpower, I’d probably have mastered it from my younger sister who had the uncanny ability to disappear into thin air when there were dinner dishes to do.

What an amazing power it would be to have! Just think…you’d never have to worry about a bad hair day, or having put on five pounds over the weekend from the three pints of Häagen-Dazs you finished off, then pretended you threw the cartons out because it melted when the freezer door got pried open by the cat.

And just imagine the fun you could have beyond skulking around dark corridors at night like a Harry Potter wannabe!

You could make the neighbors think you got the first self-driving car in the neighborhood. They might be a little puzzled as to why a self-driving car would tool around the neighborhood with no passengers, but that’s their problem. You could take a swim in the neighbors’ pool – or even skinny dip – as long as you kept the splashing to a minimum…or make it look like a very large bird or a drone made a splashdown in the pool. You could even visit a colleague’s office while they’re still in, and mess with them by moving their phone and pens to preposterous places – such as on top of the door frame– right after they’ve put it down and looked away.

Now imagine if you weren’t born with this superpower, but could rent it! Why I bet celebrities and Britain’s royal family would line up to plunk down big bucks.  No more concerns over fascinator faux pas at the Royal Ascot, being caught sporting those wedge-heeled shoes the Queen frowns upon, or being discovered by the paparazzi  in a compromising position with your bathing suit top down. Hmmm, I wonder…if you’re invisible, do you still sunburn?

And what if you could selectively cast a spell of invisibility? That would be a great power to have when dealing with certain politicians. Come to think of it, you’d need a mute button too.

Perhaps it’s just as well that invisibility isn’t a superpower. Imagine if the whole world were sitting around thinking up and doing the amount of mischief I’ve thought of in the time it’s taken me to write these short paragraphs!

P.S. None of the “invisibility” images I found were nearly as entertaining as the cat video linked to this image, so click here or on the image if you want a chuckle.

Published in the May 20 issue of Beyond the Nest’s free weekly newsletter of arts, culture and recreation.