There are heroes and heroines all around us. People who rise above adversity. I am thinking about a friend who is an alcoholic, who several years ago chose to live and each day makes the decision not to drink, but make a contribution to life. My friend, who has cancer, but chooses to smile and be her lovely self. Another older friend, whose husband of many years, sings in the my choir, despite wanting to shut the door on the world and my son, who left school almost illiterate, as he is severely dyslexic and served poorly by the schools he attended. At age 30, he graduated with a paramedic degree. And there are heroines who write posts here, who get on with living despite huge adversities and challenges. You are a hero or heroine if you get up and get on, scared and terrified and bereaved. It is not something you choose to be.