by Dana Mentink

 

 

            Real heroes don’t wear capes. As a matter of fact, most of them don’t wear tights either, at least not very often. I know this comes as a shock to those loyal Batman fans, but everyday heroes do their brave deeds without the benefit of fancy super powered tool belts and nifty aerodynamic muscle suits. So move over, Batman. It’s time to meet the real heroes.

            I have gone deep undercover to find these everyday heroes and let me tell you, these people do not live in mansions with butlers that serve them cappuccino and crumpets in the morning. They are everyday people doing everyday things with grace and humility. They do not get photographed for the paper. They are only asked for their autographs on credit card slips and they get around town in used Hondas and aged minivans.

            Recently in my travels, I met a stalwart young hero at the grocery store. We became acquainted when I sheepishly confessed to him that I had cracked a jar of honey in my shopping cart. The honey cracking occurred in aisle three. Unfortunately, I did not discover the problem until I was perusing pretzels in aisle ten. Undaunted, the young man fished the sticky mess out of my basket and procured a mop to clean up my gooey trail. His smile never wavered and he was a picture of kindness to me and my crabby little helper who didn’t see why we needed to buy honey in the first place. He insisted it was “no problem at all” to clean up eight grocery aisles of goo and he even fetched another jar of honey for me after he unstuck his own sneakers from the linoleum. For absolute kindness in the face of extreme irritation, I nominate him for hero status.

            Then there’s the dog lady. This dear woman fostered a house full of slobbery, enthusiastic-to-the-point-of-insane, homeless dogs for a rescue society. She and her husband housed so many dogs at that time they had to walk them in shifts, looking no doubt, like competitors in the Iditarod. In spite of their numbers, each dog was brushed, cleaned, socialized and exercised every day. When we began our search for a loyal family pet she insisted we come to her home and meet one of the hairy horde. “You will just love Nala,” she said. “You’ll think of her as part of your family.”

            We did and we do.

            And finally there are the single parent heroes. I see them dropping off kids at school, stealing a moment in the car to organize homework or read a quick story before work. They dash frantically between soccer games and dance classes. On the weekends they can be seen procuring poster boards for class projects and helping their children find the biography section in the library. They are mother, father, breadwinner, coach, counselor, mechanic, doctor, chef and spiritual leader all rolled into one body. Batman, eat your heart out.

            So look around town this week and you’ll see plenty of everyday heroes. They are everywhere, striving each day to make their corner of the world the best it can be without the benefit of stardom or special effects.

 They don’t wear capes, but if you watch carefully, you will see them soar.