Growing up, we are often asked who our hero is and what our definition of a hero is. People want to know who we look up to. The answer is simple for me: My dad is my hero. I firmly believe that superheroes exist and he is living proof of one. What is a hero? A hero is a person who is admired or idealized for courage, outstanding achievements, or noble qualities. There is no way I'd be able to live without that man. He means so much and does so much (sometimes too much) for me. What did I do to deserve him?
When you think of a hero, you may think of someone who goes out of their way to save the day. My dad does that for me. When I find myself in disastrous situations, my dad always comes through to save the day no matter the circumstances. He makes everything okay again when the world around me is falling apart. Sometimes, I just feel like giving up but my dad reminds me of reasons not to and puts me back on my two feet. Everything is suddenly okay again when I hear his words of wisdom and encouragement.
My hero taught me to love God before anyone or anything else. Love God and live for Him and everything will eventually fall into place. I pray to God every night to simply thank him for everything I have in life. I pray for him to give me the strength and courage to get through certain things in life. A simple little prayer turns my day upside down and as cheesy as it sounds, it's totally true. I pray because my hero taught me to pray.
My hero taught me to work hard and put my all in to everything I do. All my life, I have watched my dad wake up and take off to work before the sun came up and came home at the end of the day totally exhausted. I am a full time student working a part time job. I stay up stressing myself out, doing homework after a full day of classes and work, but I tell myself that i'll be okay because I learned from my hero. If my hero can do it, I want to be able to do it too. I know how to work hard because my father taught me to work hard.
My hero taught me to appreciate the little things in life. I wake up everyday feeling blessed that I am able to live and breathe in another day. I am thankful for my problems in life for they have made me stronger. I appreciate being able to spend time with the people I love. Some of my most cherished memories are the hikes and bike rides my dad took my little sister and I on to explore the beauty of nature, golf dates, and to pick strawberries at the strawberry farm.
My hero taught me to follow my heart and dreams. When I wanted to be a teacher, some people doubted me and always questioned me. Not because they genuinely wanted to know why that's what I wanted to be, but more of a "why would you do that" type of thing. My dad was one of the very few who was there to uplift my decisions. He told me that I should do whatever my heart desires because it's not about how much money I make, it's about what I truly enjoy doing at the end of the day. He is so right, he always is. He so kindly reminded me that no matter what I do in life, he will be there to support me every step of the way.
My hero still packs me lunch even though i'm off at college. When I visit home, I always come back with prepared food to bring back to school without even asking. My hero helps me with my car problems even when he's all the way in Houston and i'm all the way in San Antonio. He helps me through the phone or calls someone for me. My hero does so much for me - too much for me. Often times I find myself missing my hero so much while i'm away. I think of calling him just to hear his voice, but even then it would make it worse because hearing his voice would make me cry for missing him that much.
From learning how to ride a bike, putting others before myself, being my own independent person (besides the lunch packing and car fixing), my hero has taught me so much. My dad has been and always will be the most important man in my life and he'll always be my hero until the end of time. One day, I aspire to be almost half the person he is because he's just that awesome.
