Everyday Hero

When the word hero is used it's used to describe someone of a heroic effort & for me that person was my Grandpa. He was always there for me & yet somehow since his passing he manages to still look over me in protection.

For years I contemplated whether to write this story but now I feel the time has finally come for that story to be heard.

To really understand this story the scene will be set in a bedroom where I the author of this heroic story lay quietly to the many thoughts running through my mind as it speeds through like a busy highway on a peak hour evening. Where is he said I? It wasn't normal for me to feel the unknown, yet my mind ran ramped & I still I wished to know where was he? Suddenly he appeared as if he had been there the whole time. He sat next to me telling me he was going home & that he would be back tomorrow. I wanted him to stay but he insisted he must go reminding me he would return tomorrow.

For my anxious mind was uncertain the words " I'll be back tomorrow" had resonated with me as tho it was okay to sleep for the moment. I had zero reasons to believe he wouldn't return. I had found inner peace amongst all the hysteria in my mind.

As a little kid, I always looked up to him as my hero. He was always there for me taking me on journeys around Sydney, Australia the place of my birth. I remember the first time I went to the movies with him & my sister we were excited at the chance to see this big movie on the big screen(No Pun intended) for the first time. The movie was a Bug's Life at IMAX in Sydney's Darling Harbour. As we sat down to watch the movie I remember vividly watching my Grandpa mesmerized by what he was seeing & although words weren't used to describe his feeling his face told the whole story. I remember thinking what could it be? He had never seen technology so advanced in his life & he was so blown away by what he was seeing for the first time.

After we had seen the movie my sister & I were absolutely blown away & Grandpa was so happy. I remember how thankful we were to him for making our day so amazing. You're very welcome kids said an enthusiastic Grandpa who himself felt like a kid again watching a movie at the cinemas.

About two years later my Grandpa had sadly passed. I remember the morning my mum came home & with a sad sense of emotion in her voice she utters the words Grandpa has died. My sister cried but for me, it was more a sense of he will be back tomorrow, Not fully comprehending what was just said to me prior I went on about my day.

You might remember when the words "I'll be back tomorrow" Was said during my anxious moment laying in my room wondering he was. I still had this in the back of my mind but those words came back once again "I'll be back tomorrow" As time moved on it was clear he wasn't returning I couldn't understand why he hadn't returned. It was hard for me to understand the full concept of not returning as I said goodbye to him one more time. Or so I thought.

As I write this compelling story of heroic amazement I remember thinking how lucky I actually was in hindsight. There are many stories I wish to share in the future of my grandfather but as I finish this particular story I want to share one last one with you "The Reader"

The photo I have shared above was taken of me as a little kid helping my Grandpa with the garden I remember my Grandma telling me as a little kid I was his shadow & on one particular morning, he was mowing the front lawn of where I lived at the time & behind him was a little me with my toy lawnmower helping my Grandpa do the work that needed to be done. After we finished we sat together on the front step of the house & he turned to me & said a job well done Alex.

The point of this short story is to say that sometimes not all heroes were capes infact sometimes & in my case, they can be a family figure. He was the most giving & heartwarming man you could have ever met & now I realize he gave me those traits to carry on with me into my older years.

Dave Grohl of Foo Fighters fame wrote this song called My Hero from their 1997 album The Colour & The Shape he wrote "There goes my hero, Watch him as he goes. There goes my hero, His ordinary" He was just an ordinary man who became the greatest thing my life "My Hero"