Ride Your Ponies Proudly

There was talk today of Shetland ponies. Sound interesting? Read on then.

Think about your childhood heroes. Usually they consisted of superheroes, princesses, athletes, people who appeared "larger than life" because of what they did or what they portrayed. They were the "untouchables"; the people that we adored and wanted to be like, but that we had no real hopes in actually being.

Now, think of your heroes today. Who are they? Are they people like the President of the United States? Are they actors/actresses? Sports players? Or, are they people who are closer to home? People who you come into contact with often, people who are ordinary yet impact your life or someone's life who's close to you?

In short, are your heroes riding big steeds, bashing around the countryside making a lot of noise, or are they happily riding along on their little Shetland ponies, content to blend in and do things quietly?

I was thinking about my heroes quite a bit on my ride home from Church today and was not surprised at who came to mind. In all honesty they are friends, family, and co-workers now. I do hold the utmost respect for some of the famous people of the world (like the Dalai Lama and those other truly amazing people), but my heart-felt heroes are the people that fill my life every day.

I have two friends who constantly amaze me. One has come from a horrific upbringing and has lived through horrors that I can't even imagine. She has struggled with money the whole time I've known her but she just keeps pressing forward. Her children and family are her driving force, and some how she finds the resolve she needs to keep going forward when most people in her position would, I'm sure, just throw up their hands and yell "I QUIT!". My other friend has been struggling with her spirituality and, in essence her happiness, for a while. She has been shown the real dishonest side of humanity a lot, has been disappointed by many, and has been forced to do a lot of single-parenting for reasons beyond her control. She doesn't give up though, and I find that her persistence in finding the balance between her spirituality and reality pretty amazing.

Of course, there is my mom. She is my number 1 hero. She amazes me with what she's lived through (alcoholic parents, married to an alcoholic, 2-time breast cancer survivor), yet through it all it has never been about her. Her experiences have never defined her, but they have rather shaped her. They have been situations to live with and through rather than live in, and she has managed to be a pillar of strength through it all. Her life continues to move forward and yet also manages to shift and change around these situations that the Universe gives her; and she manages to live her life so beautifully!

There are more because, of course, every person in our lives' touch us in many ways, but these 3 people were the first ones to come to mind at this point in my life. They are my constants; my real-life heroes!

As the Reverend said today: It takes ordinary people doing ordinary things to create the miraculous.

-- Jenn