I have said before, I don't believe in heroes. I believe that people do ordinary things in herotic ways.
When you are making a choice as to your life's work, you know the risks of said work. You may choose work where you can help. That is in your nature, risks, be damned. If you choose to be a policeman, firefighter, the military, a doctor or nurse, you know trauma will always be involved. The rest of us become stockbrokers and car salesmans, for reasons all their own.
Even me, the glass half-empty girl, believes that when in a fight or flight situation, most of us are not only willing to help but by instinct, will jump in. Nothing extraordinary, just doing what is needed in the Moment. It comes as naturally as breathing. Those are the Moments that are heralded as herotic, yet are instinct-based.
If I did believe in heros, it would look must different thatn the standard definition. My hero would be flawed severely. There might even be some madness involved. To me, being a hero would be going against what might come naturally and able to forgive themself and try again. The absense of flaws, is not possible in any of us. We have good and bad, we are black and white. Some of us are a big more unbalanced and some, are just off the charts and should not even be asked to participate into this conversation.
Tested out my thoughts on the guy in the grocery right behind me this morning. He said that people called him that when he came back with two bullet holes from WW2. He also said all he was trying to do was get home, get married and have a family. He blames the Rocky movies for the elevation of heros these days.
I appreciate and honor all those who hear the cry for help and run in that direction. We can feel good about what we do. Sometimes, you may find yourself in a battle you didn't sign up for. Imagine that you would kick being a human into high gear and do your best. That is all we ever ask, just do your best. The thing is, it looks different on each one of us and that is Sometimes, hard to remember...
