By Staff
In looking around the Brewton/East Brewton area with a little more interest in the residents here, I have discovered that we have heroes in our midst.
Heroes don't usually wear signs around their necks telling us they have the ability to perform heroic tasks. I was reminded of this fact when I saw the animated movie called &#8220The Incredibles”. These movie heroes had taken on the life of average, everyday people. They didn't want to be known as heroes and the premise worked pretty good apparently until a moment of necessity arose. Our local heroes are much the same. They don't look or act like heroes until the time presents itself that heroic measures are needed. It is then that we can recognize them for who they are.
These people are not necessarily the kind of heroes that would normally come to mind when the moniker is applied to a person. The heroes I'm thinking about didn't lift a 10-ton truck off a little old lady nor did they run into a burning building and grab the family cat just in time to save its life.
These are the kind of heroes that make our lives more interesting and more heartwarming. I'm sure you probably have someone in your life that you would consider a hero.
Each year during the Relay for Life events, I see heroes in the form of children, teens and adults as they raise money to aid in the fight against cancer. Heroes hold car washes and bake sales, cook burgers and hot dogs and play softball games to raise money for their cause.
I have also seen heroes lying down on their job. When the American Red Cross has a blood drive, you'll find heroes lying down while they squeeze little rubber balls as their life-giving blood drips into a waiting container. Yep, heroes sometimes lay down on the job.
There are some heroes whose identity is so well concealed that they appear as regular school secretaries to the average person. To a child who's sick, scared or hurt, these heroes in disguise are the next best things to mom.
I've even seen heroes take on the form of delivery folks. Sometimes a company only requires that an item be delivered to the address of the person making an order. However, if someone is confined to bed or a wheelchair, retrieving that delivery may be completely, or at least nearly, impossible. When the heroic delivery person actually takes the item to the front door or delivers the item into the residence, it may not seem like much to an able bodied person, but to those in that type of situation, it is truly heroic.
There are heroes who dress almost exclusively in white everyday. Most people think they are nurses.
I have seen heroes sweating too. These heroes get a phone call and put on some very heavy and thick clothing as they head out to jump into a big red truck and prepare to stop a fire or assist motorists who have been involved in an accident. They use equipment that can saw through the metal of a car frame and rescue a person who otherwise could not escape from a damaged vehicle.
So the next time you're out and about, pay attention to the people you see. There are heroes around us from every walk of life. You may not recognize them now, but when you need them, their identity will be revealed.
Lisa Tindell is a news reporter for The Brewton Standard. She can be reached at 251-867-4876 or by e-mail at lisa.tindell@brewtonstandard.com.