Five Minute Friday

Join Lisa Jo Baker for her Five Minute Fridays.  You're given a word and you dump your brain in a stream-of-consciousness for five minutes.

Today's word:  HERO

Go.

When I hear that word, instinctively I go to the album cataloged in my mind of image after image of service men and women... the red, white and blue flags waving as they pass.... battlefields... shields of the brave policemen and women -- like my parents -- who patrolled the streets day in and out... the firemen and women who risk harm's way to save the lives of everyday citizens.  Absolutely those images come to mind...

Though, when I think about it... it just depends on who you are, where you are and what your circumstances are for what truly defines a "hero" to you.

If you're a child with no hope, no dreams... your hero may be the teacher that advocates for you because s/he sees something inside you no one else took the time to see.

If you're broken within and held down by the chains of your past, the person who sees through those bindings and doesn't let your past define who you are today, could definitely be your hero. 

If you're someone fighting for their life and a doctor recommends a clinical trial which sends you into remission, he has most certainly entered hero status in my eyes.

If perhaps you're slipping into a diabetic coma and the last thing you can be aware of doing is calling 9-1-1, that operator on the other end of the line sending you assistance will definitely be your hero.

If you're hungry, and someone feeds you...

If you're lost, and someone finds you... 

But, I also think about those heroes who are the voice for those without one... those in animal rescue.  It's a silent crusade with the odds stacked against them every day.  They know, however, for the one or two they save, they HAVE made a difference.  

I wish everyone would be aware of their hero status.  I think when you do whatever you do with great passion, you are always a hero in someone's eyes.

Stop.