Considered one of the great epics of all times, The Odyssey, as well as other epics, all have at least one thing in common; a hero. It is typical for us to dream about being this great hero and saving a community or a damsel in distress and live happily ever after. What about the everyday heroes in our life? When we hear the term “everyday heroes”, we automatically think of people who risk their lives to help others such as firefighters or policemen. There are those who do not risk their lives, yet their jobs make them heroes. My dad is one of those people. I believe that he is an everyday hero because, among other reasons, he is a physical therapist. He helps people get better for a living and loves it. This great job, in addition to how smart he is, his friendliness and openness, and his great work ethic are all the reasons that he is an everyday hero.

Ed was born on April 5, 1965 in Gary, Indiana. His mom, Claire, dad, Bernard, and half brother, Joe, were thrilled when he was born. Ed grew up in Crown Point, Indiana and went to the Solon Robinson Elementary School and Crown Point High School. After graduating from high school, Ed went to Purdue University for four years and studied Mathematics. He then became a math teacher at Wheeler High School in Valparaiso, Indiana for a year. Ed got married to Sue Brimer on July 1, 1989. After they got married, Ed taught math at Northwest High School for seven years. Ed decided that he did not want to teach math anymore, so he studied physical therapy at the Indiana University Medical Center for two years. Then he was employed as a physical therapist at a nursing home in Anderson for five years. Ed moved to a different nursing home called Maple Park Village in Westfield, Indiana. So far, he has been working there for five years and hopes to continue working there as a physical therapist throughout the rest of his career.

There are many reasons why my dad is a hero. One trait that makes him a hero is that his job includes helping people. At his nursing home, he is a physical therapist, which means he basically helps people get better physically. Since he works at a nursing home, he is mostly helping elderly people. He helps victims of stroke and heart attack. He also helps people walk and stand up on their own if they are in wheelchairs or use walkers. He helps with balance and coordination. All of his patients really appreciate his help. He had one patient named Lois. She was moved from a nursing home in Noblesville to Westfield. She was very sick and could not even walk. In only eight weeks, with my dad’s help, she was able to move to an assisted living home and carry on with her life. “That is probably my largest accomplishment in my 10 years as a physical therapist,” he said. Some of his patients only live at the nursing home until he feels that they are well enough to go home. He helps them on their path to recovery and quest to get home. “I love my job very much,” he says. “It is very rewarding.” This is similar to what Odysseus does in the epic poem, The Odyssey. The whole story is him helping his men and himself to get home.

Ed has been in college twice for a total of six years. He is so smart. I would say that he is smarter than the average parent. It is really neat because he can always help me with my homework, especially math. Sometimes I think that he is as smart as Einstein! He can also speak French, so he helps me with my French homework and is always teaching me new words and phrases that will help me learn the language better. Odysseus is very smart, just like my dad. He came up with the idea of the Trojan Horse, which helped win the Trojan War. In The Odyssey, Odysseus gets into some pretty bad situations, but he uses his mind to get out of them.

Also in The Odyssey, Odysseus is very friendly to people (well, except the suitors). He is hospitable and when he is with other people he really tries to be nice. The type of job my dad has requires very good social skills. He is in constant communication with people and patients. While working with elderly patients, he is very friendly, nice, and patient with them. “Being nice and hospitable to patients is very important and helps me to do my job better. I believe that a strong connection with patients, especially elderly ones, is important; my personality fits well with my job.” Not only is he nice to his patients, he is nice to his friends and family. I know this because he is always very kind and loving to my brother, Evan, and me.

My dad gets up at 7:00 a.m. to go to work. He does not get home until about 6:00 p.m. He leaves with a smile on his face even though it is early and; nevertheless, he comes home with that same loving smile. When my dad was still a teacher at Northwest High School, he was also the freshman basketball coach. Although 12 were enough people for a basketball team, my dad let 20 on the team. Six players dropped out and he was down to 12 players. After that, report cards came out and seven players got an F, so my dad had to kick them off the team. Only five players were left and the city tournament was coming up. My dad and his players worked very hard to come up with new plays and strategies. Nobody thought they were going to make it to the city tournament, but with their new plays and strategies, they did. In their first game at the tournament, the game was tied and they went into overtime. Two of my dad’s players fouled out and he was left with just three players on the floor against the massive five players of the other school. Though they lost the game, everyone learned an important lesson that day; a situation can look bad, but if you work hard and never give up, things can go great. All the people at the game that day thought that Northwest did not have a fighting chance. Working hard pays off. Everyday, I am thankful that my dad is so hardworking. My dad works hard to provide for my family, just like Odysseus. Odysseus works so hard to get home and see his family, battling all types of monsters, gods, and other creatures. Who could forget his bravery when fighting the Cyclops? My dad is the same way. Well, he does not fight sirens or Scylla, but he braves anything and tries to do what is best for my family. He is truly amazing.

What do you think? Is Ed an epic hero or an everyday hero? He says, “I do not think that I am an epic hero or an everyday hero. I am just doing my job”. Ed has been compared to Odysseus, so some might argue that he is an epic hero in today’s society. Some may argue that he is just an everyday hero because he has not done anything truly amazing that has affected the global community. He only affects the town and people of Westfield where he works. You have already heard my opinion; I think that my dad is an everyday hero because he helps people, he is very smart, he is open and friendly, and he is hardworking. Now it is time to decide what you think. Ed: epic hero, everyday hero, or work in progress?