Heroes

Heroes. Everyone nowadays has their own definition of what a hero is. Is it a fireman who runs into a blazing inferno to risk his life just because some onlooker said that a child might still be inside. Is it a soldier who dives on top of a grenade to sacrifice himself so that his fellow brothers can continue the battle?  Both of these examples in my opinion, are heroes. Our perception of what heroes our I believe has changed in recent times. It seems like the act of being brave instantly allows you to attain hero status. I believe that heroes come in all shapes and sizes.  A hero to you might not be recognized as one by your fellow man, but if someone in your life has earned that hero status, then they are a hero in someone's eyes, even if the entire country has never been told their story. 

Mental toughness is an attribute I have a great admiration for. Doing what you have to do no matter the circumstances, how miserable you might be performing said task or anything of the sort. Always pressing on regardless of how cold it might be, how tired you are or when your last day off was. 

My dad is the perfect example of the above. Many of you may or may not know my dad.  Many are intimidated by him when they first meet him.  He's the stereotypical tough guy that can stare down the devil himself and make him cower in fear. Peal away all the layers and you have a sensitive, caring individual who would do whatever it takes to help you in any way he can, no matter how hard or long the task asked is. Did I mention he has Stage IV Colon Cancer?  This has obviously impeded his day to day life but his mind and drive are as alive as ever. 

I used to despise his growing up. Some of my worst memories as a kid growing up what yard work. No matter how hard I tried, he always told me I wasn't doing it right or it needed to be done this way or that. To this day the smell of cut grass takes me back to South Lakemont Ave in Winter Park with him taking the lawnmower away from me and finishing the yard himself. It tore me up because I wanted to do it, I wanted to contribute but more importantly, I wanted him to be proud of me that I had done the job correctly. 

Recently on a trip to a spring, I saw a middle-aged man teaching a group of youths how to snorkel, dive down a bit and come back up. One child only went under for a few seconds and maybe 6 feet down but when he surfaced way sooner than the other children in the group, he was immediately told how good he did and how proud of him the teacher was. In my mind I thought," Are you kidding me?".  I could hear my dad yelling at the kid from inside my head that it wasn't good enough or we weren't leaving until you go all the way to the bottom. This is how I learned many traits and skills.  I wasn't allowed back into the boat when trying to learn to water ski until I got up on both skis and was able to stay up. If you wanted back in the boat, you better get up on two skis and stay up. Which is exactly what I did.  Some might say it's a harsh way to teach a child but I believe it instilled a sense of self reliance at the same time. 

My family is not the ordinary family. There are days that I wish we were, I think it would be easier.  But if we weren't who we are now and not gone through what we have, we wouldn't be the people we are today. In third grade I was pulled out into the hallway to see my mom and the principal talking quietly as my teacher escorted me out into the hallway. My mom walks over to me and says, "Grandma is dead.  And we can't find Grandpa".  It's as if it happened yesterday and I'll be the first to admit to having a poor memory. That is the day when our normal family life that I knew and loved ended. Grandpa was found dead a few days later in Jacksonville. 

In no way am I complaining nor am I trying to set apart my hardships with others. I had an amazing childhood and there are many who have experienced far worse things than I. I'm only painting my picture for you. These experiences have made me and everyone in my family the individuals that they are today. 

Who is your hero?  Stop and think about it. We all have one. Who is a person in your life that has made a difference when everyone else walked on by?  Heroes come in many shapes and sizes, but we all have at least one person we can classify as one. 

Times change. People change. Places change.

We all know that change is inevitable, but is it always for the better?  For example, a local, family owned produce store that had a sandwich counter and wine section has relocated to the mall. The ambiance now?  Insufferable. No more friendly greetings as you walk in the door. The one on one service is gone. It might as well be a huge big box chain that came into a strange town, opened up shop and is trying to overpower the local market. Maybe the store owner thought that a location with a higher traffic count would be better for his business. But people will drive when they've found that special place that they can depend on to deliver what they are looking for.

There's a special place in Orlando that most would call outdated. I would call it outdated. But there are certain aspects of this place that are staples of the establishment that shouldn't be changed.  You don't take down the green monster at Fenway to put in more seats. You don't tear down the Ivy at Wrigley to make way for ad space.  

Today I found that a few places that I hold near and dear to my heart have been removed at this outdated hotel to make way for more rooms. But it's what they took away are aspects of the foundations of this place that very well could have been kept or at least relocated.  Now they are nowhere to be found. For a tourist that has never been here before, they would call it an improvement, but in actuality, they don't know what they are missing because they never saw what was once here. And what was here was great and shouldn't have been messed with. I'm glad that I have photos to remember them by or else I would have to depend on my memory to which I shall be the first to admit can't be relied upon at times. 

Before you make a change, take a moment and take a step back, take a deep breath and make sure of the decision you are about to make. A small change in your eyes might be a huge change in someone else's. You can attribute this to a job, a relationship, a friendship, or in this case a renovation of a hotel. Every place has its own soul, it's ambiance which is important to some, but maybe not to someone living in another state that is only looking at a pro-forma and doesn't care what changes are made as long as the numbers at the bottom line stay black and only increase in size. 

The soap box is now yours.