Who are your heroes?

We've had plenty of opportunity to find heroes lately.  I'm betting that only a tiny bit of the heroism displayed during the recent shooting in Las Vegas has come out.  People helping people during all the hurricane activity we've had has been all over the news.

If you ask a youngster who their heroes are, you are likely to get  a sports star.  Maybe a few movie stars or rock stars but sports will dominate the list.

When I was growing up, during the dawn of the Space Age, it might have been an astronaut.  I thought John Glenn must be the coolest guy ever.  I liked The Beatles but I didn't want to be them.  And I never saw them as heroic.

So, what is the definition of hero? To answer that question,  I did what everyone does...I Googled the term.  Google says " a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities."  Wikipedia describes a hero as (and I paraphrase here) " is a person...who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, bravery, or strength, often sacrificing their own personal concerns for a greater good.

Going Old School, Webster's said "a person admired for achievements and noble qualities." 

So who fits those definitions?  Astronaut Scott Kelly maybe.   Not only has he been to space multiple times, when his wife, Congresswoman Gabby Giffords was shot, he was there for her.  I heard Kelly speak one time and wanted to run out and change the world.

Once upon a time, I thought Lance Armstrong was heroic.  Beat cancer.  Won the Tour de France over and over.  Established the Livestrong Foundation (for which I dutifully wore the yellow arm band).

Then we found out the truth about him.  And we find out that maybe he isn't really a very nice person either.  He did accomplish more for cancer research than just about anybody and he did win bike races in an era when everyone was cheating just like him but heroic?  Not anymore.  Not to me anyway.

Who are your heroes?  Who do you admire the most?  Who do you see as being all those things that we attribute to being heroic?

I'm going to jump to my real point here.  I believe that you need to look for your heroes right here, where you live.  Not on TV.  Not in the movies.  Not on the basketball court or football field. 

 Look for someone that you know, someone that you  have looked in the eyes and seen who they really are.   Someone that has walked the walk and you've seen them do it.

The neighbor that changes your neighborhood.  The law enforcement officer that is out there every day making the world safer and better.  The fireman that runs into a burning house to save a child, putting their own life at risk.  Soldiers defending our country and the defenseless around the world.

The public servant or political office holder that stands up for what is right, even when it isn't popular or politically expedient (maybe especially so).  The family that takes in children that don't have many options.

Admire the person who took a bullet for somebody else.  Or dragged others to safety.  They deserve our praise and admiration.  But I think we need heroes that we can reach out and touch.   Everyday heroes that do the right thing, day in and day out, even when no one is watching.

So...who are your heroes?