I was watching CNN the other day and came across their commercial for CNN Heroes of the Year. These are individuals who have improved the lives of those around them – cooking for people affected by natural disasters, creating support network for developmentally challenged children, amputees, or starting boxing gym. These are remarkable individuals who have turned tragedies and challenges faced in their lives into something positive. I admire these individuals and applaud the work they’re doing.
But often times when we hear these stories, we think that impact has to be made on a grand scale – on a level where a major network will recognize it. We start to define heroes as grandiose individuals. We forget the heroes who do small acts that can have an equally big impact on someone’s life.
Atlanta had its first snow storm yesterday. It started raining/snowing around 9am and progressively got worse. Given that the city rarely experiences temperatures dropping below 40 in the wintertime, this was an unusual occurrence. People in Atlanta do not know how to deal with snowy conditions. They freak out, leave work at exactly the same time, and cause major traffic jams throughout the city. In the infamous 2014 ice storm, people were stuck on the roadways for over 12 hours and some even slept in their offices. Sounds ridiculous for those of us who have been raised in cold temperature states.
As someone who doesn’t really blink an eye unless the forecast is for 2 ft of snow, I didn’t think much of the inclement weather conditions. I came into work and went on with my regular morning routine. I went to my regular Friday bootcamp class at my work fitness center and didn’t give the snowstorm another thought.
While working out one of the fitness center staff came to get me. I thought maybe someone was calling me, something urgent came up. To my pleasant surprise one of my co-workers was looking for me. She had tried calling me, texting me, messaging me on our internal messaging app. All to no avail. I was blissfully swinging kettlebells, doing chest flys and bicep curls. My co-worker finally showed up to the fitness center looking for me because she was heading home before the conditions outside got worse and wanted to make sure that I got home safely too.
After I assured her I would find a ride to the train station or take the shuttle, she called another senior member of the team asking if he could give me a ride to the train station. I was utterly shocked by her actions.
I was shocked because I did not expect someone to go above and beyond to ensure that a co-worker found a way to get home. Our self preservation mode kicks in when something unusual happens but it takes a special someone to lookout for not only themselves but also for others. I observed that when incidences such as this one happens, people gather up their belongings and get in their cars to go home, without concern or care for their colleagues. People do not go out of their way to help others.
I did get a ride with another colleague to the train station but we had to turn around and head back to the office because of the insane traffic jam. Once back at the office I found out that the shuttle was cancelled without a plan from the company for employees who rely on the shuttle and public transportation to get home. Fast forward stressful moments and my long walk in the rain and snow to the train station, I made it home safely.
During this ordeal I kept thinking about my co-worker who thought about my safety and was concerned about my well-being. Her small act to on an ordinary day made a big impact on me. She was my hero yesterday. She did not create a non-profit to tackle a larger societal problem or donate money to charity. All she did was show extra compassion and care for another human being. In my eyes that certainly qualifies as a heroic action. In this day and age of self promotion, someone was able to rise above that think about someone else for a change. This is a noble quality and selfless act that we should promoting.
