Reg Coffey’s Everyday Heroes – Who is Your Every Day Hero? February 9, 2013

 

Good Neighbour Paul Cleaning Yet Another Neighbour's Driveway
Good Neighbour Paul Cleaning Yet Another Neighbour’s Driveway

CFN – As I traveled around making deliveries today I was struck by all the negative news and comments from people. Suspicions of community leader’s motives, disturbing social media postings and anonymous threats, international news of violence and, of course, complaints about the weather seemed to follow me everywhere.  It was just depressing me. It seems that Facebook bullies get more press than good Samaritans these days. While there is nothing I can do about the weather I think it’s time to recognize the daily good deeds of ordinary people, the Everyday Heroes.

I’m not talking about people who leap into burning buildings to save kittens or such because they do get their proper recognition. Who I am talking about are ordinary people who commit selfless good deeds for other people, friends or strangers. Even just being polite or cheering up a sad friend or helping someone to cross the street, it’s worthy of being considered heroic. It doesn’t have to be a world shaking event with 4 by 6 glossy pictures on the front page of CFN. It’s just people helping other people without any expectation of a reward or even notice.

If you look around you will see heroic events being committed every day. I have a list of people who I consider heroes but today I am only going to mention the first one that comes to mind. It’s not because he is any greater hero than any of the others on my list. It’s because I can look out my office window at home and see him committing good neighbourly deeds on a daily basis. My first Hero is my neighbour Paul Hebert.

Paul with his wife and two sons, are about the best neighbours that I have ever had, and I’ve had a few. I have always found them to be cheerful, friendly, and non-judgemental. They are quick to lend a hand when needed but are respectful of my privacy. That is what makes them good neighbours.

What really raised Paul to heroic levels in my eyes occurred during the snow storm in the first week of December 2012. I was suffering from a particularly nasty cold that included infection in both of my ears. It was in the middle of the afternoon, it was cold and dark outside, and it was snowing. I was sitting in front of my computer in my basement office trying to work on a consulting project and not doing very well. I was feeling very sorry for myself and dreading having to go out and shovel the snow off my driveway. In the middle of my misery I caught a glimpse of something moving outside my window. There was my good neighbour Paul scraping the snow off my driveway. He didn’t ask me if I would like him to do it nor did he wait for any kind of acknowledgement. He just did it and moved on to another driveway. There is no kind of cold medication that could have made me feel better than that one act of kindness.

So my first entry for the Everyday Hero of the week is good neighbour Paul of Ingleside, Ontario. Unknowingly, he provided physical and emotional relief to a self-pitying, sick, whiney, old man in his hour of need.

 

To post a story of your Everyday Hero you can email me at coffeyscoffee@gmail.com and include a picture or video (youtube.com link) if you have one. You can also send a Letter to the Editor at info@cornwallfreenews.com.

Please remember that heroes sometime do not like the publicity so ask for permission to relate the story and respect their privacy.

Coffey's Coffee Bus Card

5 Comments

  1. Nice to hear some good news for a change,I too am very fortunate to have more than one fantastic neighbour ,Doug Seller who is getting up in age & cares for his wife .Doug clears our driveway each Winter,cuts some other lawns, takes a buddy for an outing at Timmy,s for a good time several times a week.Doug is also a shriner & drives children to Montreal Hospital when needed,he drives for meals on wheels & collects for charities door to door & a host of other acts of kindness….my hero!!!

  2. Lots of everyday heroes in our community. Yes! One that springs to mind is Chief Dan…when young student and essay writer Hannah Sommerville got the chance to “be” Police Chief for a day. (reported in print news, May, 2011)

    Chief Dan is a hero because he involved a young person in a potentially life-changing learning opportunity.

    So what’s wrong with the City re: CFNs letter writing contest?

    Can’t help but think of kids who put pen to paper so to speak, only to be ignored.

    The City and Team Cornwall should think about the message that’s being sent to kids.

  3. Jamie is my hero.

  4. There is quite a list of heroes who contribute to our news site but I didn’t want to focus on CFN. I was hoping that the community at large would take this opportunity to look for the positive in people and acknowledge it.

  5. Even tho” Paul is my son, he is always considerate to other. After he does his good deeds around Napier St. , he come to Cypress Lane and cleans out our driveway and those of neighbors.
    In my mind he is a “hero”

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