Hero Project
Patrick C.
Kevin Condon
A poem for him
Grateful does not describe
My feelings for my father
Love, the only word
What is a Hero?
“A Hero Is…”
According to the Merriam Webster dictionary, a hero is, “a person who is admired for great or brave acts or fine qualities.” But really, when you think of a hero, who comes to mind? A man in a blue suit with a cape and tights? Or a man with a mask and tool belt? Or someone that can shoot webs from their hands? Actually, real life heros are very different from these stereotypes. A hero can be anyone that selflessly performs acts, such as donating their time for the good of others. A hero is someone that performs acts that benefit others and inspires you to follow their path.
A hero is a middle class father supporting a family. Imagine a middle class father balancing payments and trying to save for his kids’ college tuition. Consider the amount of time he spends working and the amount of sacrifice it takes to accomplish this. What kind of stress would this put on the him and the familial relationships that he is trying to maintain? This father is learning that he is willing to to do just about anything for the sake of his kids. He realizes that he would do anything to see that cap and gown on his kids after an additional four years of college. He wishes that one day these same children will look up to him and thank him for the amount of effort that he put forth. He hopes one day when he is a sickly old man that his kids will care for him as he did for them. He wants his children to feel the same bond with their kids and use the same work ethic he displayed. Clearly, this man is a hero, putting others needs and dreams in front of his own, for their sake.
A hero is a older friend that mentors you and helps you blossom into the best you can be. A young teen is struggling with some life decisions that he must make. He ponders who he is to hang out with. Also, whether or not to care about school work. He needs a close person to talk to, yet his parents are the last people he would ever want to discuss this with. He decides to call up an old friend that has made these choices. This friend comes straight to the rescue. He helped walk the young teen through the correct path. He advised him to always be engaged in school and hang out with friends that make him feel good. He helped his friend realize the correct ways so that his friend will not make the mistakes that he had made in the past. The young teen took this advice and made huge improvements in his lifestyle. The young teen realized what a huge help this mentor had been in his life. The teen vowed to help someone else achieve the same things that he did, with his own guidance. Clearly, this mentor is a hero because he inspired others to be kind like himself.
A hero can be anyone of importance to you. Heros can range from a friend, to your father, to Superman. My personal hero, my father, matches my definition exactly. He makes sacrifices, to put my life in front of his. Also, he always is there to give me advice and boost my morale whenever I need it. When I need some transportation, if he can, he is there. He meets the second standard too. He inspires me to be the best man that I can be, and when I grow up I want to be the same kind of family man that he is. Forget the heroes you hear about in comic books and novels, look to the ones who truly are an inspiration to you.
Why to train for a marathon?
I chose the topic of how to run a marathon because my dad has run multiple marathons in his lifetime. My father has always enjoyed challenging himself, so one day when he was 30 he decided to push himself to new limits. Running had always been a passion of his, so he thought that a marathon would be a great idea. After his first marathon, my father fell deeper in love with running, and to this day still goes out for a nice run in the morning. Marathons interest me because I also enjoy exercise. In addition, like my father, I do enjoy a challenge. So combining the two I came up with the subject of marathons. I immediately knew that it had a direct connection to my personal hero, and it seemed like a great choice. Due to my father’s inspiration, when I am old enough, I plan to run a marathon and follow in my father’s footsteps.