Be someone's hero today....

    During this past week, Ogden suffered a tragedy. 6 Police officers/agents/detectives were shot while serving a warrant. Usually these things get written up in the newspaper and remain far removed from you personally. This one touched my life and therefore touches the lives of all the people I know. Professionally, I'm a registered nurse. This week someone told me I was a "hero". I don't wear a badge or carry a gun. So the role of "hero" is never one I would place myself in. It made me wonder what a "hero" really is.

These are navy nurses aboard the USNS Comfort. THey leave their families for deployment to serve people in other countries. When not abroad, they serve military men and women wherever they are stationed. Are they heros?

These are random service men and women that provide "force protection" for the medically trained personnel so that they can serve the people. Are they heros?

More military personnel. Are they heros? While pondering this question...I've thought of all the heros in my life. Sure, some of the heros carry a gun and wear a badge. Others drive my son for carpool. Some have taught my daughter how to cross-stitch. Others are skilled practitioners that can diagnose or surgically correct what ails you. Others give me a hug when they see that I'm having a bad day. So I think that maybe yes, I can be a hero. I'm the nurse that wakes you up after surgery. The one that tells you, "you made it." The one that helps you manage your pain and reorients you to time and space. So a hero then is someone that does something for you that you can't do for yourself. A policeman will protect you from criminals. A firefighter will put out a fire. A teacher will encourage your child to learn. So go out and be someone's hero today. Do for them, what they can't do for themselves. We can never have enough heros. (Cape and tights optional)