Everyday Hero

As I write this, my wife and I are on vacation, staying in an awesome rental home on the beautiful island of Kauai. The stress started to melt away the moment we stepped off the plane and felt the warm tropical humidity and the smell of the sweet plumeria flowers. Not that regular life is all that tough, but when you combine going to work with fighting the Orange County traffic, caring for multiple grandchildren, helping out other family members, and visiting sick friends, life can get a bit overwhelming at times. So, when we get to take a vacation, we tend to really enjoy it!

However, this morning while we were sitting on the balcony watching a huge Cruise Ship leave the Harbor, we got a text message from a friend. He told us he was leaving on vacation as well, heading out to the Bahamas. What a lucky guy! Except his vacation will be a lot different than ours, because he is a lot different than us… and let me explain why.

I cannot use his real name because he works undercover for the DEA. So, let’s call him Rick. Rick is an amazing guy whose bravery is only surpassed by the size of his heart. In his job with the DEA he focuses on chasing the Mexican Drug Cartel. He has captured lots of really, really, bad guys and he has recovered millions in laundered money along with thousands of pounds of illegal drugs. For months he will disappear underground, and we won’t hear from him or be able to reach him. And then he will surface for a few days, and typically go to the beach with his dog “Sid” to catch a brief respite from what has to be one of the most dangerous jobs on earth. As a former Marine with several tours of duty in war torn areas before joining the DEA, Rick is able to handle extreme stress. But even Rick needs a vacation once in a while.

So lucky Rick is going to the Bahamas, except he’s not bringing his bathing suit. Instead, Rick will be flying with a group of military veterans and first responders known as Team Rubicon who are trained to deliver aid and relief supplies to areas hit hard by natural disasters. On September 1^st, the eye of Hurricane Dorian, a category 5 hurricane, made landfall on the Abaco Islands in the Bahamas with sustained winds of 185 mpg, making it the strongest hurricane ever on record to affect the Bahamas. More than 50 people lost their lives and the damage was so intense that it is estimated it will take more than $7 billion to rebuild. Rick will be one of the first… to get that rebuilding effort started.

Rick’s idea of a vacation is to go to disaster areas and help needy people. Is it fun and relaxing? No. So why does Rick do it? Because he tends to really enjoy it!

"Rick" doing his regular job... and doing it well!

Down in their hearts, wise men know this truth. 

The only way to help yourself is to help others.

  ~ Elbert Hubbard