I won’t go into detail why my sister is my hero. She just is and that’s that. She shows me everyday what strength is and for that I am reminded of everyday people as heros.
I truly believe you hear and understand things at your own pace. Doesn’t matter how well educated you are or how old you are to really filter and embrace information that is given to you. I think we have the idea that a hero is one who has super human powers or gives of themselves in a profound way. Yes, there are the Mother Teresas and the Gandhis and the Nelson Mandelas. They are a given. It seems they are just born to be great.
Then there is the rest of us. And there are so many people out there on a day to day basis that are heros in their own right. I was on an over packed plane the other day and the stewardess’ were definitely heros at that moment. They effortlessly and kindly got 300 plus people boarded with the mounds of luggage and all of our quirks loaded in a cool 15 minutes. That was after a horrendous week of flight cancellations and weather chaos. Yes, I know there are times when it can be not as it seems. I have come across some “not so nice” airline employees. But I have to honestly think about how I behaved when tired or frustrated and I have to say if I was on the other side I would probably not win an award for perfect behavior.
I decided this time I would really make an effort to take everything in stride with this trip. Let me just say I hate to fly and always have so before I even head to the airport I have a lot of angst. And here it comes back to me finally understanding at MY own pace that if I accept that everything is going to go as it is and whatever the outcome accept it and know that everything is going to be ok. And believe it or not, it was. The lines were still long. I still had to strip down to go through security. There were a billion people (ok maybe not a billion but it always seems that way) wanting to get on my plane at the same time and I was all the way in the back. (You know, one of the last ones to get off…). Having claustrophobia doesn’t help either. But I knew that there was nothing to be done and I was going to take each phase in stride.
It turned out I met a lovely couple sitting next to me. When I told one of the stewardess that she should be canonized for how she and her colleagues loaded the plane with such ease, she was so appreciative of the comment that she couldn’t do enough for me the rest of the flight. Even checking in my luggage,it was exactly the correct weight and the security could not have gone smoother. And all of these people, everyone working in the airport, were still dealing with the havoc left by the weather.
This is just one entity who goes to their job regardless of the bedlam in their personal life to help us with everything from operations to welcoming you to a hotel. It is bitter cold right now where I am and the poor bellman didn’t have any gloves because the weather is so unusual. I gave him some gloves to use and you would have thought it was the pot of gold. But in the wee hours of the morning when we are going to work he will be there to help us. I know it’s his job as it is for all of the others but I guess when I really evaluate what it is to be a hero it’s those that are here to help me as I hope I can help them.
And let me just say that every time I remind myself to stop, take a deep breath and be aware of the other person’s world, it just seems to go easier. Funny, that. Believe me, I still have my moments but hopefully I am becoming more and more aware and thankful of my personal heros.