Heroes

"I believe it is the nature of people to be heroes given a chance." James A. Autry

I also believe this is true, and I believe that we are all heroes inside. There are many different heroes. There are firefighters, policemen, shelter volunteers, emergency room personnel, people who dive in after a drowning person, but there are other heroes, too. There is the person who provides a kind word to someone who has given up hope that anyone cares. There is the person who takes their extra blankets and gives them to a shelter so that those who have nothing can at least be warmer in the winter. There are those who teach not just subjects but children. Heroes shape the Future and give birth to a Future where people are kinder, where hurts are eased, where there is enough for everyone. And you can be a hero. You are a hero inside yourself, whether you want to believe it or not. You may think that you're not strong enough or that you don't have enough time or enough money to make a difference, but you're wrong. We are all enough, as we are, right now.

Have you ever known someone you just don't want to be around? You can't put your finger on it (or perhaps you can), but there's something about that person that bugs you, and you'd rather not spend time with them. It irritates you when you're forced to be with them for whatever reason. It lessens the fun you have. It dampens your mood. You'd just rather they not be in your life. Almost everyone has known someone like this.

On the flip side, have you ever known someone you enjoy being around? Seeing them brightens your day, makes you smile no matter what else is going on? They lift your mood just with their presence. They lighten your burden by giving you a reprieve from all the negativity and problems in your life. These people are heroes. They make the world a better place through their actions, through their words, and sometimes merely by their presence. But how? How do they do this? And how can you become one of these people?

You do want to become one of the people, right? A person that others enjoy being around? A person that someone will cross the street to say hi to rather than a person they'll cross the street to avoid? A person that brings smiles to others' faces? A person that inspires? You can be that person. That person exists, right now, inside you, whether you believe it or not.

These are not people who have no problems. There are no people who have no problems. Everyone has problems, but not everyone handles them in the same way. There are people who will complain to you about how they stubbed their toe and the light was against them when they tried to cross the street and their toast was soggy at breakfast this morning. This is not the sort of person people enjoy being around.

Then, there are other people who may have had soggy toast and stubbed toes and waits at the crosswalks, but they'd rather talk about how beautiful their flower beds looked this morning and how they're looking forward to the weekend because then they get to see their grandkids and how wonderful the weather is (because it's sunny, because it's rainy and the farmers need it, because it's windy and the breeze feels good after the oppresive heat lately, or whatever). These are people who enjoy life. These are people who make your life better because they are in it. These are heroes because they are improving the world.

There is another type of heroes who improve your life, too. They are fewer in number, but no less in impact. They are quiet, but they are content, and their inner peace radiates from them and seeps into you. They are the people you'd like to sit next to and enjoy a quiet afternoon, watch a sunset, or listen to the birds and children playing down the street. They spread peace.

You can be one of these heroes. You are one of these heroes, inside, and you can help shape the future by bringing the hero inside you to the surface, by birthing your heroic nature and affecting others as they affect you. You can do this. It may be tough. After a lifetime of complaining and whining, it's easier to continue. And perhaps you do have a very harsh life. There may be many things that are hurting you, causing you pain, destroying your life and your peace, but that is also true for some of the heroes, both the bright ones and the quiet ones. It is not what goes on in your life but how you face it. You don't have to be happy all the time. You don't have to pretend that everything is all right. You do get to complain now and again. You have that right. But you can complain less. You can whine less. You can improve your own mood. Your attitude affects nearly everything in your life, including the people around you.

Just start small. It takes a long time to birth a Future, but it is going on constantly. You are giving birth to the Future now, whether you like it or not, and you may as well make the conscious choice of how you want that Future to appear. Choose, this week, just once, to not complain when you normally would. Just once. Will others notice? Not right away. But in time. Choose, next week, to not complain just one less time than you do this week. Just once. That's all it takes. And if you cannot give up every single instance of your complaining, then increase the amount of times you smile or compliment or comment on the beauty of the day. Reduce your negative. Increase your positive. Slowly, but surely, you will bring your hero to the surface, and you will shape the Future into a happier place. You are a hero.