This call to mind memories of my father, dying in the hospital. It was a wake-up call for me to see him die in so many ways. All the ways that he (and me in his footsteps) had tried to be a “somebody” with the prowess of our intellect and our physical athleticism became irrelevant in those moments. All the work to create the image of a “me” or a “you” is really, at heart, a desire to experience the vitality of our spirit pouring through. When death was close at hand, both my father and I had the bravado of our “somebody” pretense pulled away. And it opened my eyes to see the many true heroes and their value all around me.

I was humbled to the core by the nursing staff, who worked 18 hour shifts without blinking or thinking or a single complaint, there to attend to our every need without any greed or expectation in return. Where I thought I had gone the extra mile in my life, or aspired to be like people I saw on TV who I thought were making a big difference in the world, these nurses put me to shame. They accomplished, thanklessly, in one night what would have taken me a week to do, and did it unassumingly, with care, with true heroism.
I bow to nurses, and think that we should award THEM medals and big endorsement contracts and TV interviews- YOU ARE THE REAL HEROES! THANK YOU!