In the Community
by Lisa Wyman

Lisa as Deadpool, Halloween 2016.
People often use excuses like “I don’t have the time” or “I don’t have the money” when asked to volunteer or donate to charity. However, as Colossus said in the Marvel film Deadpool “Just 4 or 5 moments…that’s all it takes to be a hero”. You don’t have to commit to hours every week or hundreds of dollars in donations to make a difference in your community. You can start small, by looking for opportunities everyday to help someone. Whether your moment is helping the mother in front of you at the grocery store load up her car, giving your seat to an elderly person in a crowded waiting room or picking up trash on the sidewalk, you can reach out to those in need around you without spending a dime or even much of your time.
Looking for these moments around you is easy, and gets even easier the more you practice. Whether you look for 4 or 5 heroic moments in a week, a month, or even a year, you can impact someone in your community more than you realize. Heroes do not save the day for recognition, tax write-offs, good PR, or even the warm fuzzy feeling that follows a good deed. They do it because it is the right thing to do. Think of the last time something awkward or difficult happened to you in a public place. Wouldn’t it have been amazing if the person staring or even laughing at your expense had swooped in to help instead? Be that hero to someone else. Those 4 or 5 heroic moments may seem small at the time, but when added together they can have a major impact on your community, and even the world.
Lisa Wyman is a Business Insurance Agent with Clark-Mortenson Insurance.