Who is Your Hero?

by Heather Long | More from this Blogger

07 Jan 2007 01:58 PM

Who is your hero? I thought about this question when I started to write it, who is my hero? When I was a very little girl - my hero was Luke Skywalker. You can laugh; I do when I think about it now. But my hero offered me an infinity of promise if I were to just work hard and focus myself. Whether you care for science fiction or not, the character of Luke Skywalker is a young boy on the cusp of manhood. He is full of the wild emotions of youth and he is selfish and he wants very much to get away from the life he knows.

When opportunity presents itself - he leaps at the chance, but he loses his uncle and aunt to a brutal attack he could not have predicted nor have prevented. His idealism leads him on a hazardous journey and eventually it takes him to Yoda. He trains as the last of the Jedi Knights and Yoda demands great mental and physical discipline from him. He also demands that Luke stop always looking away from where he was, what he was doing and to live and exist within the moment - to become more than he was and all that he could be.

What Do We Ask Of Our Heroes?

For a long time, this hero sufficed my needs. He inspired me to work harder, to try and to become more. Yes, Luke Skywalker was a fictitious character, but that should not diminish his inspiration. As an adult, I find my heroes in the people who overcome - whether it is challenges of physical being, financial situation or emotional history and social existence.

My heroes are the men and women who rush selflessly into the fray to save another. My hero is the construction worker who jumps down from the subway platform to help a stranger. My hero is the Navy Medic who returned time and again to help a family he didn't know because their baby was sick. My heroes are the men and women who put on uniforms and work tirelessly to help others.

My heroes are the people who drive hours out of their way to rescue stranded people in the middle of flood and hurricane. My heroes are the ones who open their doors to children who need homes and need love. I find my heroes in a lot of different places, but they all teach me the same things - to reach for more, to be more and to keep my heart and my mind open to the countless opportunities and infinite possibilities.

Our heroes inspire us and whether they are sports figures, soldiers, police officers or fictional characters, they can help us to achieve beyond ourselves. So, who are your heroes?

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Learn more about Heather Long

Heather Long is 35 years old and currently lives in Wylie, Texas. She has been a freelance writer for six years. Her husband and she met while working together at America Online over ten years ago.

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