Unsung Hero

Last week Shaun called me from work to tell me that he had just been given the “Hero” award.  Just a few weeks before this, he had mentioned that he was feeling a little blue because nobody had from his team had even nominated him for this huge honor. When he found out that not only had he been nominated, but that all of his hard work had been recognized in the form of this seldom granted award, he was ecstatic.  Go Shaun!

Thoughts of his Hero Awards have been whirling around in the back of my mind.  There are so many things that Shaun does that make him a hero in my eyes that I’m not sure he’s even aware of.  I think it’s time to publicly recognize them and award him the highly coveted and newly invented,

Heroic Bubby Award

(If there are any computer nerds out there that can design an award for this, now would be the time to strut your stuff.  Heck, I’ll even reward you with...um…with the Award Designer Award! Of course, I’d have to find someone to design that for me…then they’d probably need an award and …oh, this could get complicated.  Let’s just say you would have my undying gratitude and I’ll give you credit you would deserve.  Any takers?)

Anyways…Merriam-Webster defines hero as: c: a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities.  Hmmm, achievements and noble qualities.  There are a quite a few of those, I’ll see if I can touch on just a couple of them.  

A True Hero puts his family first:  Yes, Shaun does put in some crazy hours at work.  (That would partially explain that other award) There are times when it seems as though we don’t see him for weeks on end. But, when he really needs to be there, he is.  Every game, recital, party or simply a day in the park that he’s asked to be, he’s there. Often times, he’d rather be anywhere else (Do you really want to listen to a two hour concert when your kid only plays for five minutes?)

A True Hero is chivalrous:  It’s not uncommon for people to hold doors open for others but that is often the extent of their chivalry. Shaun bends over backwards to help others, often strangers out.  I’ve seen him give up his seat to an elderly couple and encourage his daughter to do the same.  He will run to hold the door open for someone who has their hands full of something.  He doesn’t do these types of things merely to look good, it’s just how he is.  

A True Hero stands up for his beliefs: Shaun’s always the guy wearing the white hat. Sometimes it would just be so simple to just stand back and take the easy way out.  Just let the little stuff slide by and not worry about the consequences.  It’s not always easy to do the right thing, but he always does. And once again, he encourages others to do the same.  (OK, there has to be an exception here.  Everybody knows that when a road is blocked off because of flooding that means you aren’t supposed to drive there. Doing the right thing doesn’t mean that they were saving all that water for you to splash through with your Jeep…not that I would ever nag or anything)

A True Hero brings me little presents: It doesn’t take much to make me happy. I like little things like a Sunday paper, a can of my favorite pop, a bouquet of posies or even a quirky magazine.  It’s fun getting unexpected little gifts for no reason except that he was thinking about me.  (Well, ok, the Sunday paper isn’t really a surprise anymore as I get one each week, but I love that he always gets me one)  

A True Hero shares his knowledge: Shaun truly is one of the smartest people I know.  He is the only one in the world that I know who can make learning so fun and exciting.  I will never forget the time that we were at the tide pools in Pt. Loma, CA and a crowd had gathered around him, asking questions and being amazed at all the wonderful information he was sharing with them.  I still have no idea where they all came from!

On a more recently, I just listened to him answer Mimi’s fearful question about how one got radiation sickness.  (Any guesses how she even got to a question like that?)  He started with atoms and went all the way up to Hiroshima.  She was fascinated.  (I guess he just couldn’t stand my flippant, yet reassuring answer that you could only catch it from goats in the wilds of Montana.)

A True Hero is adventuresome: This man is forever dragging me out of my comfort zone. It seems as though he is always getting a wild hair and dragging me along with him.  There are so many things that I haven’t wanted to do, yet he somehow convinces me that it will be fun...and it is!  


This is getting pretty long.  I’m sure I could fill another page or two, but I’ll stop now.  I think you have the general idea.  

Thanks for being my Hero Shaun.


sife


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