Are heroes born or are they made? I don’t know. Personally, heroes don't flex muscles or charge to the rescue. They don't wear capes, don't deflect bullets off their chests, fly through the air, nor can they attach themselves to brick walls with silken spider webs. My heroes number many, thousands actually, and as I write this, they are fighting wars they had nothing to do in starting. They were laid to rest decades ago, lives cut short before their time. They never got to say goodbye to their loved ones and yet their love for their country couldn't be measured. They are my heroes. These brave men and women are obvious heroes, and they gave up their lives, the ultimate sacrifice so that we can enjoy the freedom of being able to write these words without fear of authoritative retaliation.

But what about the unsung heroes? Who sings their accolades? At some point during your day stop and people watch. Did you notice the father who picked up his little daughter so that she could get a better view? Is he really a hero? To his daughter he is. That little girl, through innocent eyes, believes the man who picked her up to carry her is the strongest and best daddy ever. Every little problem is miraculously taken care of, every hurt made better, and every monster made to disappear magically. A father's love. Little does she know that no sacrifice is too big or that he loves her unconditionally. That's how he feels. He is her hero.

What about the young lad who opened the door to the mall entrance and noticed that walking behind him was an old woman pushing a walker. She was trudging along so slowly, and yet even though he felt impatience he decided he was going to wait, and held the door for her. Not much you may say, but to this old lady, he did something special and that was probably the only good thing that happened to her that day.

Did you notice the man who while walking down the street saw that some cars were going to be ticketed because the money in the meters had run out. He decided to put a quarter into each meter and probably saved the car owners the price of an expensive ticket. He didn't know the owners and it didn't matter. He performed an act of kindness and he's a hero.

Don't forget the hundreds of volunteers who give up their personal time to give to others, without remuneration. They are heroes. And those who give their blood perhaps successfully preventing someone's demise. Heroes, all of them.

Let's not forget the teachers. Some are unappreciated for what they do. Their jobs are not easy and like many other occupations, they don't have the luxury of going home and putting their feet up. There are papers to grade, lessons to go over and prepare, unhappy parents to contend with and after all that, they still find it in themselves to care enough to reach out to the student who is lagging behind for whatever reasons there may be. These gurus of the teaching world care what happens to their students, your children. They are the sort of people who enjoy watching others succeed and if they can help them do it, even better. Many of them are unacknowledged and unrewarded. To those who criticize and say that's what they get paid for, I can assure you there isn't enough money to put up with what some of them tolerate, shoulder, submit to and stomach but they do, not because they have to but because they want to; because they care. They have to deal with what you’ve trained your kids to believe, wean them off the ignorance you’ve stupidly taught them and then they go home and deal with their own families only to do the same thing over the next day. They are heroes.

I would be remiss if I didn’t count among these stars, the men and women of law enforcement. While it’s true that some have overblown egos and are full of themselves, not all are power freaks with a fetish for making others miserable. There are good men and women who do not forget captives are human beings. They are the ones who I’m quite sure are able to look at themselves in the mirror without feeling shame. They are the ones who have no blood on their hands and live guilt free. ‘Karma’ is not exclusive to Buddhism. It is a universal law which even science is hard pressed to refute. These men and woman are also heroes.

Take a look at yourself. How were you a hero today? What kind word did you say even though you really felt like throttling someone? What grain of patience did you possess for someone who unbeknownst to you really needed it at that precise moment? You may be utterly clueless as to what you did but you were probably a hero to another human being and didn’t even realize it. We all have it in us to be heroes. Next time you see someone wearing something you admire, compliment them. If someone is chasing a piece of paper down the street because the wind decided to take it for a spin and it’s coming your way, catch it and hand it to its owner. When you see money on the sidewalk, be it a penny, dime, or dollar, there’s nothing wrong in picking it up but give it to the next person who is down on his luck and walk away. Watch what happens after that. It can be subtle or it can take you by surprise but it will happen. Be a hero. It will make you feel better about yourself than you’ve probably felt in a while. You matter and what you do matters. After that, it becomes a habit. And how was your day?