Of course, my first heroes.were my family.
Dad seemed to be able to almost anything. Mom was a great cook, any child’s friend, compassionate and dedicated. They were born about the time of WWI so went through the Depression as their families’ main source of income. (Mom had lard sandwiches at times. Yuck!) Then came WWII and everyone did their part. Hard to believe in this day and age.
Then there was my dad’s mother and Mom’s parents. They were all born about 1870.
Mom’s parent’s were good, decent people. Grandmother Vernie could scare me even being as small as she was but she really did treat us well despite in-law strife. She was a horrible driver BTW. Grandfather was a carpenter and the kind of grandfather every child should have.
Dad’s mother was FORMIDABLE but she still put up with us kids. She lived in the apartment above us as many bigger houses were built at the time. She had home schooled Dad. She must have done a decent job. He got into the local university at the age of 13.
She had traveled to Europe and met some famous people. She had a Phi Betta Kappa key from UofMinnesota. She had written several books. She had taught at a prestigious college. Etc. She started teaching me French when I was seven or so.
Unfortunately, I never knew Dad’s father. He had died before my brother was born but I know he was a fairly decent man. Dad had all but worshiped him, I think.
From all of them, I got a love of learning, appreciation of the world, and realizing that all people have their own gifts, none really greater than another. My brother was visually handicapped and my neighbors’ youngest had Downs Syndrome but was the best one of the family.
I was also encouraged not to blindly follow the crowd, which caused a crisis when the first Star Wars movie came out. It sounded so good but it was insanely popular. Glad I went to see it. I even got my parents to go.
They didn’t do everything perfectly. Becoming a parent doesn’t normally come with an instruction manual. They did their best to do the best for us. I can’t say that about some other parents I know.
In the 60’s, I got introduced to Marvel Comics. Don’t snigger. They did not, as Dad warned me, ‘rot my brain’. Besides, I was a teenager. As Stan Lee used to say, ” ‘Nuff said.” They didn’t rot my brain. They expanded it.
Thor and Captain America quickly became my favorites, as they are now actually. They were brave and had honor, fighting for others and, with Cap, believing in what our country could be. Something both of use still believe in.
Then there are today’s heroes. Health care workers, grocery workers, sanitation workers, and letter-persons to name a few.
“When the going gets tough, the tough get going.”
There are so many people doing good things that none of us know about. They too are heroes.