Heroes Diving

A couple of days ago, I was at a pool party, and there was this girl there, trying to learn how to dive. It started with her standing at the edge of the pool, with a friend standing beside her, showing her where to put her feet, how to place her hands, and what to do next. The final result was a belly flop, as the girl kind of panicked and just dropped into the water. But this potential diver didn't quit. She kept trying and trying. And trying. A few more friends came and stood beside her and gave her tips, cheering and encouraging her. It was quite beautiful for me to watch. But, at the end of each dive, it ended with a splash as this girl didn't quite make it. Still, she got up, and tried again. I watched this process for about 20 minutes. The diver's friends eventually gave up and moved on to other games. But, not this girl. She kept going. Never mind the fact that her belly was getting red and the failure was right there in her face. I kept watching. At one point, she did a pretty adequate dive. At least, it finally looked like a dive. No one else had seen it, so I cheered her on from the side. That was enough ammunition for her. With a big grin, she hopped out of the pool, and headed to the diving board to try diving off of that. It didn't work so well. Another belly flop. But, instead of giving up, she went back to the side of the pool and tried diving again. There were more belly flops than dives, but still, she kept going. She had to have been at this for at least 45 minutes by now. At least 100 attempted dives. Never giving up. At the end of the night, I don't know if she was able to accomplish her goal of a dive off the diving board.

I've been thinking about this a lot lately. Who taught this girl not to give up? Is this a character trait just in her, or has somebody looked her in the eye and said "Never, never, never, quit". What pushed her past the pain and embarrassment of belly flops, to keep trying until she got it? Even when her friends were no longer helping her, and no one was watching, she kept going. What is that?

That led me to think about a conversation my husband and I had a while ago. What is a hero? What makes someone "heroic"? When I first hear the word "hero", I immediately think soldier, or Superman, or RCMP officer. I think a lot of people will first think of those people. But, I think heroism goes a lot deeper. I think, more than an occupation or name, heroism is part of a person's character. It's what's in them that makes them act the way they do. Heroism causes people to make hard choices, even if no one is watching. This diving girl was heroic. She was determined to succeed at her goal - never quitting.

Yes, the quality of heoroism is what makes men jump on top of grenades to save another man.

Yes, the quality of heroism is what makes doctors work crazy shifts and perform crazy surgeries in order to save another's life.

Yes, the quality of heroism is what makes the mother rush out into busy traffic to save her little toddler who has wandered into the middle of the street.

But, the quality of heroism goes deeper than that. It's those hard little choices that people make everyday, without even really thinking about it.

“A boy doesn't have to go to war to be a hero; he can say he doesn't like pie when he sees there isn't enough to go around” – Edgar Watson Howe

The quality of heroism is what makes my husband go to work everyday to a job that isn't fulfilling. But, still he goes, knowing he is supporting me and his soon to be born baby.

The quality of heroism is what makes him kiss my pregnant belly everynight and tell his baby he loves it and can't wait to meet it.

I want to teach my children heroism. Not the kind that makes them become firefighters and police officers and soldiers [although, I would not discourage that if that's what they wanted]. I want them to believe that heroes are everywhere, not just in comic books and movies. I want to teach them the imporance of values such as never quitting; of giving even when it hurts; of putting others' needs in front of their own; of loving no matter what; of being fearless when doing what they know is right. The values of faith and hope and love and courage and truth. That is what makes a hero.

My first post

So, it's my second day of maternity leave. And, I've started a blog. I've always kind of wanted to do one, but never really had the time. But, now, sitting at home, having at least 5 more weeks until my baby is born, I realize I need some sort of project. Plus, I thought it would be fun. I really do love to write, and I haven't written in quite some time now. So, hence, a blog. I can't promise that it will be all that profound or entertaining or clever. Just me and my thoughts on what's going on in my life lately.