Heroes Are Often People We Know

Heroes

by Melinda Campbell

The story went viral basically overnight. A little girl with spina bifida being carried on an all-day field trip where here wheelchair wouldn’t have gone. A little girl excited to see the grandness in nature. A mom elated her daughter wasn’t left out of the adventure. A teacher humbly stating his carrying the little girl wasn’t a big deal. The photos captivated people’s hearts, and instantly, the man was a hero to onlookers. Within hours, media outlets around the world picked up on the story. Why? We are thirsty for good news. We long to sense compassion. We want to have that warm fuzzy feel we get with stories like this one.

There are a couple of thoughts that instantly came to mind after the story had its sweet goosebump moment in me. One, this kind of activity should be the norm. Inclusion shouldn’t be so rare that it is celebrated like a sesquicentennial historical wing ding. Two, why is there such an imbalance in the news these days where the bad greatly outweighs the good? Both of those thoughts are quite telling of our society’s direction, and I feel we need to ask ourselves as a collective body what we as a country really want.

Do We Want Heroes or Zeroes?

It boils down to supply and demand, I think. Many Americans thrive on conflict and live with outdated standards in education. In my dream world, stories like little Ryan’s would be the norm. Celebrating those moments with moms like Shelly would be routine. Teachers like Mr. Freeman would be applauded for what they do every single day. We certainly wouldn’t have the imbalance of a two-minute clip of Ryan’s big day countered by 45 minutes of social conflict. 

If you’ve not seen this sweet story, do yourself a favor and Google it now. You might even want to like and follow Team Ryan. Everyone needs a splash of what’s really important in the world. Maybe if we all re-center our thoughts, stories like this will become more plentiful. Thank you, Mr. Freeman, Shelly, and Ryan for reminding us goodness isn’t hard to find when we are willing to see it.  You are our heroes!

The author of this post is Melinda Campbell and Shelly (the mom of the little girl in the story) is a friend of hers. Melinda is on the right in the above photo and her friend, Shelly, is on the left.

Bio-Melinda Campbell is a retired educator who currently focuses her efforts on raising her two teenaged boys, advocating for individuals with special needs and against drunk driving, and serving in her local community. Melinda has been gaining recognition for her writings labeled “Reflections from my Kitchen Sink” since the tragic death of her husband Michael in 2015. In her stories, she shares observations from her daily life including moments she has as a solo parent, a widow, and a woman who battles significant health issues including fibromyalgia and depression. BIG ANNOUNCEMENT- New Kitchen Sink Merchandise-Click Here??