Finding Heroes In Ordinary Places

My husband (at his age!) goes to every superhero movie as they are released. I would rather have a root canal. But I have always loved a hero; I just want them to look and dress and talk like us—not an artificial and impossible character.

I consider heroes so important that I choose one every day. Ask me any evening who my hero for the day was, and I guarantee I can tell you. Please let me share with you why I think this is important.

Do any of you remember Jacques Cousteau? As a child, when “The Undersea World of Jacques Cousteau” came on TV, I was glued to the set—the first hero I remember having. The takeaway was this: our world is fragile, beautiful, and needs our care and protection. And Monsieur Cousteau taught me this in so many ways, every single week.

My next hero? Leonardo da Vinci. With only eighteen (some of those are even disputed) works of art existing today, along with numerous journals covering virtually every subject, his influence in both my world and the world in general is profound. What did I learn from this hero? That strength, passion, creativity, and most of all, CURIOSITY, can change the world.

My list of well-known heroes gets much smaller after these two guys. I soon learned it was the everyday hero whom I admired the most and could learn the most from.

My aunt Carolyn—strong and independent, an attorney, and a woman who rose to a top-ranking position in the National Park Police in Washington, DC. One of my first supervisors, Grady, who taught me that when a person trusted those around him or her to do their best, they would.

Fast-forwarding to more recent times—in fact, this week—Dra. Morales, our veterinarian in Puerto Rico, performed surgery on one of our Chihuahuas, removing a large mass on her belly. Dra. Morales is not only a skilled vet but a kind and caring woman who understands how much pets are loved.

How about today? My friend Ruth, who drove from the next town over to bring something for the aforementioned recuperating little dog. My lesson from Ruth? When you have a friend, figure out what they need—don’t ask, just do.

I used to challenge my students to find hero qualities in “real” people—not just musicians, athletes, or social media stars. And (this is the important part) to not only identify their qualities, but COPY them. Be LIKE them.
How about their English teacher at our Alternative High School with no on-campus library, who created one in her classroom—buying, trading, and begging for books the kids loved and read? The takeaway there? Find a need and fill it.

Here in Puerto Rico, my heroes after every hurricane and tropical storm are the mothers who keep their children clean, fed, and entertained with no electricity or running water, often for weeks that become months.
In Questa, the young women like Rae, Gaea, Claire, and Monica who work every day to make our village a great place for children.

Here is my challenge to all readers—wake up in the morning, consider your yesterday. Which person became a hero? Promise yourself you will copy them today. Then spend your day watching the people around you and find the qualities you admire—the ones who helped, the ones who made a difference. Acknowledge their words and actions by letting them know you noticed (It will make their day and encourage a repeat performance!).

Now more than ever, it is the responsibility of each of us to make the world better. The “how-to’s” are all around us. We don’t have to depend on celebrities to model good behavior—we can look much closer. By looking for the goodness in people and striving to be like them, we may just become a hero to someone else.