We are all inspired by heroes and they can come in small packages. Hero stories are very motivating. I remember the first time I read an article about a hero. I was captivated. The sheer bravery, the guts. Everyone wants to be a hero. Our movie industry glorifies them and makes them like gods. We need heroes from the time we are born. Our first heroes are our parents. We look up to them and try to copy their every move. We start shaving at 5-years-old just like dad!
We may think we are not cut out to be heroes, but that’s a mistake. Being a hero is the most human quality we can have. We all have that quality, that protective instinct. If we see a baby about to fall, our first instinct is to hold on to his or her hand. If we see someone about to be run over by a car, we shout and get them out of the way. So, being a hero is not a question of strength or size.
Most movies do show heroes as being very tall, very strong or very fast. But, how about the opposite? Can a short person be a hero? How about if the person is not very strong? They say heroes come in all shapes and sizes. A California mom was about to find out.
Adrian Young volunteers as a crossing guard at Alexandria Avenue Elementary School in Los Angeles. She says she likes to help the kids cross the street and be that extra level of safety they need. Many of the kids trust her just as they would trust a family member. They see her always willing to help them out whenever they need it. She is not very tall, only 4’8”. She may be tiny, but what she lacks in size she makes up for in determination. This determination would be put to the test.
It was a typical day when she finishes her shift and is about to head home. At a distance, she hears a little girl screaming something that left her cold. The little girl tells her that the woman taking her away is not her mother. Adrian holds on to the girl’s hand and tells her not to let go.
“I told her to hold on to me as tight as she can, do not let go,” Adrian said. Both Adrian and the girl are very small and the kidnapper is much larger than them. As she says this, the kidnapper starts attacking her. At that moment, Adrian thinks that the best thing is to attack her. She needs to find a way for the kidnapper not to take the little girl.