Five-second hero

Jessamyn said I was one of her favorite blogs.

Oh, my.

She also said that these real stories make us all sound like heroes.

She’s exactly right.

In my first post, I said we are all interesting. ALL of us, not just librarians. Sometimes it takes some effort to find what’s interesting about someone, but it’s there in everyone.

In this post, I want to say that we ALL can be heroes. It takes some effort to see the opportunities, but it doesn’t take what anyone would usually call heroic effort to actually BE the hero. You just have to look, act, and appreciate it.

Example: Late afternoon. Long shift. Squally children. Low blood sugar. My colleague brought me a decaf mocha with whipped cream. For free.

O happy day!

It didn’t take much effort or money, but she already knew what I liked and didn’t even have to ask. She just did it.

It was my state of mind and body that made her the hero.

That’s the tricky part: we never know who has the need. But it doesn’t take much effort to be kind; one researcher estimated that it takes an extra five seconds.

Yes, you read it correctly. Five SECONDS.

Another example: my son was three. He was fascinated with the garbage truck. He barely came up to the hubcaps. He waited for an hour by the curb for the truck to come, a long time for a three-year-old. The driver roared up, attached the dumpster, lifted it, dumped and drove off.

He never noticed my son standing there, waving to him the whole time, just waiting for a wave. One moment of notice from the master of the huge, roaring, smoking, smelly beast.

The garbage man. He could have been a hero that day.

A wave. A smile. A piece of information given in a cheerful, interested manner. We can do it, if we just take the time to notice the opportunities when they arise.

Just do it. Take five.

Comments

[Shelly]

I'm a firm believer in random acts of kindness. I love the surprised yet pleased look I get in response. That's all the reward that's needed. And I never know when the right opportunity will present itself. I just need to remind myself to take advantage of them more often.

[Andrea]

When one of my sons was three, he also was fascinated by garbage trucks and would count the days till their weekly return. But in his case, the garbage collectors qualified as Five-Second Heroes because they always smiled and said hello to their shy, pint-sized admirer. Update 2005: That former toddler is now a pilot and in Air Force R.O.T.C. He still is fascinated by powerful vehicles, but switched to those that fly.

[Barbara]

This post made me think of the great (and surprised) look on a patron's face when you remember which books s/he like to read or inquire about their new puppy, grandchild, etc. In my opinion, it isn't being too personal, it is just showing you care.