Tuesday, September 30, 2014

A HERO? WHO ME?

 
"We can't all be heroes,
because somebody has to sit on the curb
and applaud when they go by."
Will Rogers
 
I suppose we've all had our 'heroes', right?  I don't really know who mine were...but I liked Superman.  Possibly because he sat beside my sister and me on a bus once, later on that day he spoke to us again and we even had a table near him for dinner and he spoke to us once more.  It was Christopher Reeve (my fav Superman of all times)...let me tell you he was awesomely blue eyed, handsome (of course) and totally down-to-earth.  Nice, nice.  And he wasn't even busy saving Gotham City!  Just relaxing in civvies!  Like Will Rogers said, 'we can't all be heroes' and frankly, I don't aspire to be one...just call me 'chicken little'. 
 
But there are times...sometimes out of the blue, when we least expect to be stepping up to help in a way we might not dream of...when oops, there it is...in your lap.
 
 At least that's how it seems to be in my life. 
 
Some years ago, I was office manager for a dentist and was a pretty cool cookie; having four sons in college had something to do with that.  Kept my reflexes/responses sharp...good thing.
 
One day a patient came in for her initial appointment; very pretty woman but ha, we couldn't take care of her...she was so drunk she could hardly walk.  I got a tad tipsy just talking to her but she was sweet...we hit it off.  She was quite happy that I re-scheduled her for another day, hoping for some sober time!
 
Okie-dokie, she made the next appointment, sober...yay!  Success!  Only problem was she had a different name, okay by me.  She told me the 'other one' had died and pulled out a picture to prove it...there she was, in a hospital bed with flowers on her chest!  That was put to rest and voila!  I met the 'new woman'.
 
We became friends and even the doctor found himself listening to our conversations from the other rooms...in total amazement.  Said he'd never heard such conversations in his life...oh brother.  We had some goodies...but we were comfortable with each other...trust me, she needed someone/something to hang onto and I became a strap.
 
Some days she would just drop in for a visit...lonely as all get out.  In some cases I suppose things she revealed might have been figments of imagination...sadly, in her case, they were true.  Her life was a mess along w/a med problem mixed with alcohol...not a good thing.
 
"Heroes represent the best of ourselves,
respecting that we are human beings.
A hero can be anyone from Gandhi
to your classroom teacher,
anyone who can show courage when
faced with a problem.
A hero is someone who is willing to
help others in his or her best capacity."
Ricky Martin
 
One day she came in with her arms loaded with purses...all sizes and shapes...she put them on my desk and asked me to keep them for her...I said I would but asked her why? 
 
Seems she was going downtown to crucify herself...I wasn't alarmed because I rationalized she couldn't do that by herself. 
 
Don't ask why I didn't call the police...didn't notify the authorities; I did what I thought would help...in my best capacity.  Trust me, I do not consider myself an authority on anything...but I felt okay with the situation.
 
So, off she went.  Before long she returned, very contrite...teary-eyed... apologizing for everything she'd ever said and done; my heart ached for her. 
 
Long story...short.  Roosevelt said, "When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on."  She and I hung on...together.
 
Happy ending...thankfully she accepted the advice and help I proposed...and after some time, professional counseling/treatment worked.  She became healthy, finished her degree, found and kept a wonderful position. 
  
So, can anyone be a hero?  Oh, I believe so, I know so...I really do! 
 
From my heart...to yours,
Vasca  

1 comment:

  1. It was so wonderful that you were able to help her. You hate to see someone going down the really wrong road especially when they could have things going for them.

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