Mr. Lee, of course, is the creator of many of today's greatest superheroes, including Hulk, Captain America, Thor, the Fantastic Four, Iron Man, the X-men, and of course Spider-man. His expression of "Excelsior" must mean something amazing. After all, each of his comic heroes possesses special abilities that make him/her superior to us everyday humans. While we are walking on the sidewalks, they are soaring above the clouds. While we are stymied by locked doors, they can see through them. Or break through them. Or burn through them with their laser vision. While we are easily injured, they are not bruised, scratched, or punctured, even by bullets.
Still the question remains: what does the word excelsior mean? One may ask if it is even a real word. It is. In fact, it truly is a great word, but not only does it sound regal, its meaning should earn the word a place in the educational setting. It means ever higher. In a single word, we have the sentiment expressed in so many of those nice sounding teacher expressions (i.e., Shoot for the stars!). Rather than saying, "Do your best," maybe we should pop out an occasional excelsior to goad one another to greatness. It certainly is worth thinking about.
We may not have superpowers like Stan Lee's characters, but we can still peel ourselves off the floor, dust off our britches, and push ourselves onward and upward. It's not always easy, and we will experience our share of obstacles and setbacks, but with the right attitude (EXCELSIOR!), we can learn from mistakes and FLY WITH THE EAGLES (metaphorically speaking)!