Definition of a Hero....

Tuesday, December 1, 2009...

I subscribe to the magazine Outside, a magazine where extreme sportsmen meet living green. I'm not an extreme sport's person, but get a guilty pleasure from reading about people who do.

This month, I skimmed an article "Reader of the Year", which is Outside's pick of extreme do-gooders with an amazing life background. One was a Navy Seal purple heart recipient, another helped rebuild a fallen government and under the age of 35.

For a moment, I felt a twinge that I couldn't be a hero because I didn't have the backgrounds posted in the magazine, but then I woke up.

I realized not everyone is meant to live the extreme lives these individuals have lived, BUT, could still be a hero without knowing.

I guess I define "hero" a bit differently than Outside magazine. For me, a hero can be a parent who teaches their child to say "thank you" and "please" or an adult who holds open the door for another (especially when their arms are full), or a person who drops one canned food item in one's grocery store food pantry box to help out a hungry person.

Not every act has to be over-the-top, but I've noticed as I've gotten older, people connect less and less to strangers and move about in their own world. Why is that?

In the end, I define "hero" as one's ability to connect with another person....and in many cases, put a smile on their face or make their life a bit easier by performing simple small acts.

I will probably always have a subscription to Outside, but based upon my definition of hero will probably never be featured in their magazine....and I'm okay with that.