Journal 41

To me, a hero is someone who does something noble. Someone who does something and makes a difference in people's lives. It ddoesn't have to be a person with any superhuman powers, or someone that people recognize or even notice. Just a regular person who does something honorable. To me, my grandfather Thomas Tyler is a hero. He was never rich, never well-known outside the small town he lived in, and never won any awards for greatness or anything of the sort. But to his clients and friends in Pekin, Illinois, Tom Tyler was a dear friend and someone who changed other people's lives. My grandfather was a barber. Though he's retired, his clients still can recall his hospitatlity, and the comfort they got when entering my grandpa's barber shop. One roomed but for a small bathroom and office, his work station was very humble--but it still seems so vivid in my mind. My Grandpa is one of the most optimistic, most uplifting, and most comforting people i know, and he made people feel better just by chatting with them while giving a short haircut. He'd tell jokes, he'd laugh, he'd catch up with his clients and talk to them of their life. He cheered them up when they were weary, and he picked them up when they were down.His shop matched his personality: Wide open windows, looking at passerby's gently and invivting; walls adorned with funny posters and jokes that got a laugh out of everyone who entered; and though they were old, the barber chairs were worn and smoothed by the family and friends who had gathered there. He never made much money. Supporting a family of 8 on the salary of a barber didn't make you rich. And yet he still continued to go to work everyday with a smile on his face in order to cheer up the clients that walked in. He never started any revolution, never saved someone from drowning, never won any prizes or awards. And yet......he made people feel better. Feel welcomed. Feel wanted. Feel needed. He was a hero of the spirit. By just talking with him, he could save someone from a bad mood and a bad day. He gave people someone to talk to when they needed it. Someone to complain to when they needed to vent. And someone to listen to when they didn't want to talk at all. He was and is a hero in my mind because he made a difference.