Everyday Heroes

By: Heather Blanchard

On Monday we celebrated Memorial Day and honored our heroes. Those who lost their lives to protect us, who sacrificed so much in service to our country, who spent time away from families, lost fellow soldiers, and stood with courage on the front lines.

It is so important on a holiday like this not only to honor those who have served and heroes who currently serve today, but also our everyday heroes that are constantly doing good in the world. From serving in healthcare, to serving in our communities, our cities, our states and our nation. People who are called to doing heroic tasks each and every day. From building safer communities and fighting for justice to mitigating risk and saving lives. They are the beacons of hope. Dedicated to solving the most pressing challenges facing our communities, our country and even world. From world hunger to world peace. From climate change to equality for all.

“We can all be heroes: In our virtues, in our homes, in our lives. ~ James Ellis

Everyday heroes are people who fight forward – not back. For the greater good. They, too sacrifice their time, their energy and spend time away from their families to serve from the heart. This is the good news we don’t hear enough about. THIS is the GOOD. The good we crave; the stuff that lifts us up and inspires us to do the same.

“Everything that a truly brave man does is done from principle not impulse, and when no one sees him he is just as heroic as he would be if he was in the eyes of the multitude.” ~ H. W. Shaw

It’s also important to remember that we have ample opportunities to be heroes. The sheer energy to thrive in life, do the right thing, stand up for yourself or for others, or to face defeat and rise up again is heroic. Providing love, grace and service to others makes you a hero in the eyes of many. We tend to forget that. We forget how brave and positively powerful we are. We forget how valuable our experiences, our knowledge, our love, our dedication and our ideas are. We forget how the smallest acts of kindness can change someone’s day, their week or even their life. We forget the ripple effects of the good we do.

So, honor your heroes as much as you possibly can. And remember that you can be a hero too. You don’t need a cape; you don’t need more and you don’t need permission. You don’t need a cause or have to save the world. Just be your beautiful, glowing self. Be a beacon of light.

 “Heroes in history seem to us poetic because they are there; but if we should tell the simple truth of some of our neighbors, it would sound like poetry.” ~ George William Curtis

XOXO, Namaste, Heather