Your Heroic Heart, River Ice
We often look outside to find our hero when there is one inside of each of us. Be your own hero today. -Robert Braathe To Braathe’s inspiring words, Andrew Carnegie said, Man does not live by bread alone. I have known millionaires starving for lack of the nutriment which alone can sustain all that is human in man, and I know workmen, and many so-called poor men, who revel in luxuries beyond the power of those millionaires to reach. It is the mind that makes the body rich. Thus, in his 1904 Deed of Trust, Carnegie provided five million dollars, “To place those following peaceful vocations, who have been injured in heroic effort to save human life, in somewhat better positions pecuniarily than before.” According to CPI Inflation Calculator each of those dollars would be worth over $35 in 2024. On April 4, 1917, Hezekiah Abbott – who could not swim – led four others into stormy waters clogged with treacherous ice to save stranded seal hunters. The rescuers rowed two miles. Listen here. Eighty seven years later, on the same date, Lori Michelle Abbott sustained lacerations and contusions while rescuing an eleven-year-old who’d fallen through river ice. By then, the boy could no longer feel his feet and legs. All survived. Read more. Nominate a Hero. Myths tell of gods creating constellations for heroes. Some stories say heroes’ eyes become stars to watch over loved ones. ‘Hero’ comes from ancient words meaning demi [half, unfinished, almost]-god and to watch over, to protect. Imagine a world where everyone goes to bed a hero. A “Random Act of Kindness” will do, as in this post’s video [below]. What a world! COMMENT. What Makes A Hero? This little video presents the Hero’s Journey formula that’s built history’s great stories and is part of everyone’s life. Click Here to View 4 minutes This image is in Sandra Gould Ford’s beautifully illustrated Wisdoms Gallery and is available as prints, shower curtains, tote bags, tee shirts, beach and bath towels, coffee mugs, stickers, puzzles and more. Buy this art. Thanks for your support !
Your Heroic Heart # 5, Electric Danger
That best portion of a man’s life, his little, nameless, unremembered acts of kindness and love. – William Wordsworth When steel magnate Andrew Carnegie sold his company to banker J. P. Morgan, that transaction created the first billion-dollar corporation. With his wealth, Carnegie sponsored free, public libraries. Over 2,500 were built during his lifetime. He funded the Carnegie Council for Ethics in International Affairs. In 1889, he wrote The Gospel of Wealth, stating fortunes should be considered a public trust that should benefit others. Carnegie’s 5’3” body housed giant ideas. He believed heroic acts must be recognized. His Deed of Trust said, “A medal shall be given to the hero, or widow, or next of kin, which shall recite the heroic deed it commemorates, that descendants may know and be proud of their descent. The medal shall be given for the heroic act, even if the doer be uninjured, and also a sum of money.” In 1930, three earned Carnegie Medal by risking electrocution. On July 12, in Williamsburg, Kentucky, 22-year-old Harry M. Snyder tried to save an electrician who’d picked up a broken wire. In a heavy rain, Snyder grabbed the man’s protective glove. Both men fell and lay unconscious as 2,300-volts flashed. When the current was shut off, Snyder suffered severe burns but recovered. The electrician, could not be revived. Read more. One month later, in Painesville, Ohio, Sheldon Joseph Harris tried to knock a fellow electrician free from a steel crossarm charged with 2,300 volts. Both fell ten feet, with 20-year-old Harris landing on a charged wire. Neither survived. Read more. On December 4, 1930, in Emory Georgia, Arthur W. McKinney climbed to the top of a transformer, leapt to a beam and tugged an unconscious co-worker’s leg. Fred Maxwell hadn’t realized the wires and switches on the steel structure were live, carrying 19,000 volts. Both lived. Read more. NOTE: Because the human body conducts electricity, a person in contact with electrical current should never be touched with bare hands. Read more. Myths tell of ancient gods placing heroes among the stars. Some stories tell of heroes’ eyes becoming stars to watch over their children. ‘Hero’ comes from ancient words meaning demi [half, unfinished, almost]-god and to watch over, to protect. Imagine a world where everyone goes to bed a hero. Nominate a Hero. Succeed and Soar! A Kindness Curriculum Click Here to View [3 minutes, 50 seconds] Radiant Tree Books presents Succeed & Soar’s “Wise Ways” Collection Wise Ways shares meditations on making the most of each moment. Some were presented in Sandra’s first, blog, SoulSongz [at WordPress.com]. It still exists. After 2019, these notes were updated at Succeed and Soar.com. 36-page, beautifully illustrated book with flexible, laminated, high-gloss cover and high-quality printing. Preview and Purchase. $12 60-page, Economy Sketch Journal contains guided meditations and inspiring prompts that allow enriching, personal reflections. Preview and Purchase. $19. 60-Page, High Quality Sketch Journal. Preview and Purchase. $32 Thanks !