Tag: heroes

We are all “The Hero”

07/03/2017 / Laura

I saw The Hero this weekend, a new movie starring Sam Elliott. That’s probably enough said, as Sam Elliott is one of my favorites, and not just for the obvious physical appeal. It goes a lot deeper, as each of his many roles has demonstrated, but none more than this one. Especially for boomers and beyond, this one resonates deep.

Without giving away spoilers that aren’t already in the movie’s trailer, Sam plays a veteran actor of western genre movies who gets some bad news about his health. Understandably, he begins examining his life, attempting to reach out to those he’s loved, trying to rekindle a dwindling career, and frankly just make sense of it all.

Who among us, as we age, hasn’t wondered how we would feel if we got a depressing diagnosis? Maybe some of you already have. Maybe a loved one has. It really simplifies things really fast.

Watching the movie, I was struck by many things.

How fast your life goes by.

How suddenly you walk into a room and you are the oldest and often by many years.

How simple things are now harder, not matter how in shape you are or how many crossword puzzles you do.

How the mirror isn’t your friend anymore.

Dang but inside, you’re about 45. Ready to chart a new course. Start a new love affair. Travel the world.

But first, maybe just sit down and take a breath. Or even a nap.

Sam shows every emotion in this film. Fear, tenderness, embarrassment, frustration, anger, resolution. A lifetime. He feels he’s only done one good thing in his career. Yet as the film unfolds, it’s clear he’s touched many lives and had an impact he may never fully realize.

I want to think that’s true for each of us. Because aging can feel scary. Lonely. Like your once ever-expanding world is suddenly getting so much smaller. Your real friends, fewer. Your joyful moments, only now and then. And it’s too easy to think we haven’t amounted to much.

We don’t feel like heroes. But don’t you believe it. We ARE.

We’ve made others smile. Held someone’s hand to cross the street. Taught valuable lessons. Sang over a few hundred birthday cakes. Been there through disasters. Comforted grieving spouses. Helped our children learn patience. Showed what true friendship means. Taken care of our frail parents. Worried over a sickly pet.

We may not feel like our life matters, but maybe that’s the nature of life. To not get to know the ending until afterwards. Like someone who leaves a movie early and misses the gem after the credits.

It’s there. But only for those who are still around.

Our role is to keep going forward.

I suggest you go see The Hero. There’s a scene in the movie that speaks to the idea that everyone is a star, everyone is a hero. That’s something we all can use.

Cause we’re still rockin’ it.

“Promise me you’ll always remember: You’re braver than you believe, and stronger than you seem, and smarter than you think.” – Christopher Robin to Winnie the Pooh

Pearl Harbor and Us.

12/07/2015 / Laura

Today is December 7, 2015. Thinking back to December 7, 1941.

From what I have been told, it started out as a beautiful day in Pearl Harbor.

But at 7:55 a.m. Hawaiian time, that quickly changed.

And before it was all over, 2,403 people lost their lives and 1,200 were wounded. With Pearl Harbor, America was thrown into WWII.

Terrifying. Stunning. Devastating. Rallying. As a baby boomer, I was not alive then, but my (now late) parents were. I can only imagine the feelings of both vulnerability and patriotism this event evoked in people who previously assumed their world would remain safe.

Not unlike what the 2011 attacks on the World Trade Tours did—reawakened a global resolve to restore some level of peace and order to a turbulent world.

Debates about all the issues will go on forever. But for just a moment, let’s stop and think about what war does to us. Death is not the only result. Fear. Loss of trust. Disorientation about where we fit in the world. Worry over younger members of our family who might be thrown right into its core. Disruption of our belief system. Rifts with relatives who take the opposite side in political views. Veterans who can’t receive adequate medical care and live in poverty.

Hate. Sadness. Sorrow.

Why bring this up during the holiday season?

Because not only is the attack on Pearl Harbor a day in history we must remember, it is also a day to honor all the brave men and women who put their lives on the line for us every day. Servicemen and women. Police officers and firefighters. Doctors Without Borders. Ambassadors and missionaries. Foreign correspondents who report from the fighting. Emergency responders who pull people from flooded cars and rescue beloved pets from rooftops in natural disasters.

In a world filled with so much hate, there is still so much love. There will always be those who hate. But also, there will always be those who are willing to reach out, to accept, to listen, and most importantly, to love.

In 1941, we were mostly united in our fight against those who wished us harm. Today it’s a tougher call, with many innocent souls targeted for their religion, their country of origin, or their desperate desire to escape horrible living conditions.

No easy answers. Except a hope that peace on earth will come someday, for all peoples. What a gift that would be.

“Sometimes even to live is an act of courage.”

Seneca

Who are your heroes?

01/26/2015 / Laura

I heard someone say the other day they wondered who the “younger generation” considers heroes. Assuming this person was talking about people in their 20s and 30s, I have no idea, but I’m hoping the list includes someone other than the cast of Entertainment Tonight.

It got me to thinking about the people I looked up to when I was very young. For sure, the Mercury astronauts were men who embodied raw courage to me. I ate up the space program, and longed to see the launch of a space flight in person. That never happened, but I’ve never lost my passion for it. I really could put every astronaut since on that list.

Helen Keller was also a figure that filled me with awe. I remember learning about her and reading her autobiography and just marveling at how she could break through the darkness and achieve so much.

Dr. Albert Schweitzer was an inspiring hero. It all sounded so mysterious and brave, to choose that life and help others as he did. To me, he defined the term “humanitarian”.

Entertainment-wise, I was a devotee of Roy Rogers. And it wasn’t because of the white hat or beautiful Trigger, it was how nice and gentle he seemed. He didn’t get snarky. He didn’t yell. He didn’t belittle those around him. He just went about doing good and being polite, without ever getting too much dust on his western shirt.

I mean, really, what’s not to like?

Over the years, (and leaving religious figures and family members out of just for simplicity’s sake), I would add other names of this list: Anwar Sadat. John Muir. Henri Nouwen. Madeleine Albright. Doctors Without Borders.

And some that I simply admire a deal for their tenacity at spreading knowledge like Neil DeGrasse Tyson. Steve Jobs.

For sheer guts and class, Jackie Robinson.

I know I’ve forgotten some that I consider heroic, but I’m not talking about people I just think are nice or talented. I mean someone who really makes you pause and consider what life would have been like without their contribution. Of course people who risk their lives daily to protect or heal others all have the stuff of heroism, and for that, I am eternally grateful. Police, first responders, firemen.

Soldiers, sailors, marines, and those in the Air Force. On a recent trip to Washington, D.C., I visited the memorials for the Vietnam War, World War II and Korean War, as well as Arlington National Cemetery. Shrines to the ultimate definition of the word “hero”.

Then there’s the doctor treating Ebola. The father who lies across his toddler as a tornado passes overhead. The mother that pulls a teenager from a burning car. The average citizen who stops a gunman from entering a school.

Maybe deep inside us, we all have what it takes to be a hero, though most of us will only perform small acts in our daily lives. Still, they matter.

Who were your heroes? Do you have new ones? Do you think it’s important to have heroes?

“We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up … discovering we have the strength to stare it down.”

Eleanor Roosevelt