hero [hee-roh]
a person of distinguished courage or ability, admired for his/her brave deeds and noble qualities; a person who, in the opinion of others, has heroic qualities or has performed a heroic act and is regarded as a model or ideal
Synonyms include: conqueror, lead, protagonist

Hero
by: Mariah Carey

There's a hero
If you look inside your heart
You don't have to be afraid
Of what you are

There's an answer
If you reach into your soul
And the sorrow that you know
Will melt away

And then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive

So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you

It's a long road
When you face the world alone
No one reaches out a hand
For you to hold

You can find love
If you search within yourself
And the emptiness you felt
Will disappear

Lord knows
Dreams are hard to follow
But don't let anyone
Tear them away

Hold on
There will be tomorrow
In time, you find the way

Then a hero comes along
With the strength to carry on
And you cast your fears aside
And you know you can survive

So when you feel like hope is gone
Look inside you and be strong
And you'll finally see the truth
That a hero lies in you

* * * *

Music Box is my favorite Mariah Carey album. It was released back in 1993 when I was just a sophomore in high school. "Hero" was a huge hit and it was playing on the radio no matter what station you were tuned into, no matter what time of the day it was. The video was on regular rotation on every conceivable music channel and it was sung/played ad nauseum at graduations, weddings, and was the background music of choice for special occasion slideshows...which is probably why I never got the chance to appreciate it for myself.

I always thought it was a beautiful song and, upon hearing it, instantly think of all the heroes in my life and in the world. I may have taken the song too literally though and, until I heard it again today, never realized who Mariah Carey was singing about...or rather singing to.

A hero lies in....me? Yeah, I don't think so, Mimi. But the more I listened to it, the more I got it.

This song isn't just about OUR heroes, those people we admire and look up to. It's about (and this is going to sound so corny that I can't stand it) the - super and everyday - hero inside each of us.

I don't feel like a hero; at least not the super kind. In fact, most days I feel much less like a hero. Not necessarily the villain, but the sidekick, the minor kind of hero who follows the real hero in case (s)he needs help, the caretaker/mess cleaner-upper for any mayhem the hero leaves behind. I joke with Cile that she's Snoopy and I'm Woodstock; that she's Pocahontas and I'm...that raccoon that always hangs around her. I tell Jovi she's Bella and I'm Alice. I play the sidekick in everyone's movie, why? Because though that character seems to provide the senses and perspective in the friendship, she often doesn't require her own destiny. And not having her own destiny is, truthfully, her purpose which I'm fine with. That kinda sucks, I thought to myself....but I've had a change of heart.

Everyone has their opinions of what roles people should play in their own lives...and in the lives of the people around them. I've been told, more times than I can count, that I've either unconsciously or have been suckered into picking the wrong role to play; that I should be the heroine in my life, and not the sidekick to someone else's. I've been told that in choosing to be the caretaker and mess cleaner-upper, I'm settling for less than I'm due in this life.

I've brought myself down many times because of this philosophy that, really, wasn't mine to begin with. Frankly, what's so wrong about playing the sidekick? What's bad about living a life of service to others if that's your "hero calling?" =)

* * * *

To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.

When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you,
but merely opening your hands to receive something better.

The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.