What comes to mind when you think of the word “hero”? Someone with super-human strength? The ability to fly? Tight spandex? The truth is, none of those things are required for heroism, especially in everyday life. Though some say the word “hero” is tossed around too much, I say it’s not used nearly enough. We all need something – or someone – to believe in. So here are a few stories from The Happiness Press to remind you that heroes exist everywhere! We just have to look for them.
A hero in the cereal aisle
A routine trip to Kroger turned into an opportunity to save a life for one man. Justin Thomas had gone out to buy groceries, including milk for two of his children, when he heard someone scream out. When he rushed over to see what was wrong, he found a woman on the floor. Thomas said it looked as though her heart stopped and he didn’t hesitate to jump in and help. With the assistance of another customer, he began administering CPR. The woman survived thanks to his heroic efforts, a fact her family said her doctors confirmed. Thomas currently works as an electrician, but has kept his CPR certification up to date, after years of working for the U.S. Coast Guard. He doesn’t consider himself a hero, but we sure do! Especially because after saving the woman’s life, he went on to buy the needed milk for his kids!
Kindness never takes vacation
A recent study found that a majority of travelers report that their stress while traveling could be reduced by a simple smile or hello from another traveler. To that end, this article highlights the acts of several “travel angels” around the world who go out of their ways to make someone else’s day a bit easier. One woman said when she couldn’t purchase a face mask for a necessary flight, a fellow traveler overheard her plight and offered to make one for her. Another woman says that a shuttle for Enterprise rental cars waited with her in a particularly dark and isolated airport terminal to make sure she got on her own rental shuttle safely. The author reports her own good fortune when her VRBO – a service similar to Airbnb – landlady acted as a travel angel. The landlady cancelled upcoming reservations for the property the author was using when the coronavirus pandemic struck, just so the author and her kids could remain in a safe place. It’s good to know that generosity doesn’t cost extra!
Guardian angels with fur
I’m a sucker for cute animal stories, and this one fits the bill! Tim Livesey owns three Australian cattle dogs and loves taking them all on outdoor adventures. The only difference is one of the dogs, Bonnie, is deaf. That’s no problem for her, since her fur brother and sister, Bolt and Bella, act as her ears! All three of the dogs are rescues, and though Bonnie was adopted last, the other two accepted and nurtured her very quickly. Livesey realized this one day when Bolt and Bella chased off a coyote coming up behind Bonnie. The dogs all have protective eye gear for their adventures that keeps their eyes safe from any sharp plants and ultraviolet light. They are all trained to respond to hand signals, and Bonnie wears a vibrating collar if Livesey needs to get her attention. Thanks to her siblings, it looks as though Bonnie is in good paws!
We hope you enjoyed theses stories of heroes in different places. If you have a hero you’d like to give a shout-out to, let us know! Even better – post about the person on social media. We all benefit from hearing stories that heroes exist everywhere to help us remember that life is good.