If two people in your workplace showed up outfitted in superhero costumes (it’s not Halloween) how surprised would you be?
My sighting at the library did occur within a few days of trick-or-treat time. But the main point is that when I observed two Youth Services librarians thus attired, what first caught my notice were Janette‘s nifty earrings and Andrea‘s cute new glasses frame.  The capes, logos, belts, etc. registered only on a secondary level.
Well, children’s librarians are known for amazing exploits of programming and entertainment; their outfits were in character. Super people make difficult undertakings look easy.
It’s fair to say that others we encounter on a daily basis could justifiably include flashy costumes in their wardrobes.  Instead of Casual Fridays, we could have Cape Fridays…
Library colleague Tricia noted how unusual it is for a poetry book (Billy Collins‘ Aimless Love) to make the New York Times Bestseller list. This recognition–for producing selections so polished and accessible that thousands of Americans can overcome the perception that they aren’t poetry readers–spotlights how heroic the literary gift for thought-distilling really is.  Reading Billy Collins, you’ll not only smile or sigh at the aptness of his phrasing–you’ll want to try writing poetry yourself (this will only enhance appreciation for his effortless style).  This Library Journal article notes other contemporary poets whose work you might also enjoy.
During Halloween festivities, we glimpsed some young customers flaunting super-heroic garb, but we all judged their parents to be the most cape-worthy. Â Juggling books, strollers, craft projects, schedules, and everything else on that day’s agenda with aplomb, these multitasking moms and dads managed to appear calm and good-humored amid the chaos. Â That’s no simple feat.
And those of us who work at the Reference Desk upstairs would definitely award volunteer Jacquie Wilson a cape embellished with a jewel-encrusted “GA” (the gems would have to be fake, the library craft closet is our only procurement resource). Jacquie is known as Genealogy Advisor–a role as day-saving as anything Marvel Comics ever dreamed up.  Imagine: someone willing to listen raptly to your clan’s history, then prescribe where and how you can fill in the missing twigs on your family tree.  Like those Ancestry commercials that give the impression of instantaneous family tree discovery, Jacquie’s searches tend to prove themselves fruitful more quickly than happens for lesser mortals.
Family history researchers will rightfully contend that genealogy is not for sissies.  As Samuel Johnson observed, “What is easy is seldom excellent.”
Another stalwart crew of aspirants–authors in the throes of National Novel Writing Month–would second Robert Kiyosaki’s contention:  “You have to be smart.  The easy days are over.” I’m sitting out this NaNoWriMo year but as a two-year veteran can attest to one of the great rewards of NaNo participation: after producing a 50,000 word novel in one sleep-deprived month, in December you’ll certainly believe that easy days are here again.
