Zero to Hero in 45

I believe there is a little part in all of us that wants to be a hero. Superhero movies are exploding across the cinema mainly because we all watch with the hopes of finding a part of our own character or personality in these larger-than-life heroes. But being a hero doesn't usually happen in the big things. As much as I believe in my ability to leap from tall buildings, I've never actually put it into practice. Does that mean I'm not a hero? What does it mean to be a hero?

Definition time:
Hero |hee-roh|: noun. One who 1) gives of his/her time to those in need 2) sacrifices his/her own needs for others and 3) faces something scary or dangerous to keep someone else safe. *

I'm here to tell you that you can be a hero today. Every 3 seconds, someone, somewhere needs a blood transfusion. In fact, 4.5 million Americans would die every year without life-saving blood transfusions. Who provides the blood? Heroes do. You do. You can take time out of your schedule to find a blood bank or a traveling blood 'vessel'/van to offer a vein for someone in need. You can sacrifice a pint of blood for someone who needs it more. And it doesn't matter if you've never done it before, or if it seems a little scary, because being heroic often means standing in the face of your fear and finding it less daunting than you thought. It only takes 45 minutes to go from zero to hero. In 45 minutes, you can save three lives.

Today, I became a hero. Will you become one too?

m(r)

*this definition is solely from my own head and cannot be credited or proved by any other source.