Heroes

Image by Free-Photos from Pixabay

That’s a word we love. It’s also a word that we tend to hold to a specific standard.

Superhuman strength. Incredible bravery. Folks who demonstrate those traits are called heroes. The determined doctors, the brave firefighter, the courageous police officer tend to fit the bill. 

We can accept that. Because that individual put themselves at risk for the betterment and gain of another, almost always someone they don’t even know.

But what about in times like these? How do we think about the term now? When even going out of the house is a considered activity? When any form of human interaction, no matter how minimal, is a cause for thought and possible concern?

Who are those folks who put themselves at risk for the betterment or gain of another, a person who is almost always someone they don’t even know?

The reality is that they come in all sorts of shapes and sizes. Warehouse workers, distribution center employees, delivery drivers. People who are continuing to work to do our essential, despite personal risk to themselves and their families. 

Or those who offer to pick up groceries for the elderly in their neighborhoods, or take care of menial tasks or little odds and ends for those who would otherwise be putting themselves at risk. 

No outsized strength or bravery there. Just outsized heart.

And maybe that’s one of the important lessons in this crazy world we’re all in right now. That there are heroes all around us, among us - and within ourselves.

That maybe it isn’t about being superhuman in anyway. Maybe it’s really just about having heart, and acting on it.