“Don’t forget, you are the hero of your own story.” ~Greg Boyle

All of us want to be the hero, at least on occasion.

Who has not daydreamed at least once about the big sale, the winning shot, the grand gesture, the home run?

It’s good to dream, it’s healthy and important.

But let not your dreams on a large scale cause you to ignore the available opportunities for heroism on a small scale.

The everyday moments, the daily interactions with those we know well and those we know not at all—the stranger on the street, the cashier behind the counter, the representative on the phone—these are the opportunities we have to make a small difference in someone’s day. An opportunity to build up or belittle, to notice or negate, to discern or dismiss.

It’s not enough to save up our courtesy and patience and appreciation for the “people who matter.” That’s an exclusionary viewpoint; everyone matters. You either believe that and act accordingly, or you don’t and small “h” acts of everyday heroism continue to escape you.

You will never know the potential beneficial impact of one small act of heroism in the life of another person.

Pay attention.

The moments that matter are often brief and microscopic.

But the meaning they engender becomes extended and macroscopic.

“Sometimes I forget how much people look at you as their hero.” ~Matt Kemp