Thanks to pop culture, when we hear the word “hero,” images of brawny men in spandex often come to mind. Some have the power to become invisible, to fly through the air or to paralyze their enemies.

While superheroes are gifted with immortal super powers, the message in comic books and superhero movies typically reminds us that we can be heroes with or without super human strength. At the end of the day, “good” almost always defeats “evil,” and while the good guy may have had the capacity to break through buildings or shapeshift to avoid their foes, the lesson taught through comic books is usually that heroes defeat villains because they are fighting for the greater good.

These messages ring true for we mortals, too. Christopher Reeves, most well-known for portraying the iconic Superman, says “a hero is an ordinary individual who finds the strength to persevere and endure in spite of overwhelming obstacles.”

Every day, we encounter individuals overcoming obstacles. They do not have psychic powers or spider-sense, and they almost never wear spandex or capes. However, like the superheroes in comic books, these individuals share a desire to do good unto others.

Just last week, students in the Summer My Way program learned about heroes embodying Christopher Reeves’ definition of heroes. Students heard from heroes like police officers and school leaders, and recognized everyday heroes ranging from garbage men to firefighters, and even our Niles reporter, Beau Brockett.

Wednesday, Brown Funeral Home laid to rest a veteran who passed away. When the funeral home’s staff learned that the veteran did not have any family to mourn his loss, staff recruited help from our community to give this hero the farewell he deserves.

Brown Funeral Home could have hosted a small funeral with staff in attendance, buried this gentleman and moved on. Instead, staff took extra lengths to encourage the community to attend. To me, the Brown Funeral Home staff is full of heroes.

And when the community learned that Brown Funeral Home needed help in laying this veteran to rest, they turned out by the masses. In spite of extremely warm weather, hundreds of people — most of which did not know this veteran — showed up to show their support.

These people are also heroes.

This show of support is evidence that heroism inspires heroism. Inspired by this veteran’s service, Brown Funeral Home went the extra mile, putting countless hours into planning a service that would accommodate an enormous crowd and draw attention from national media outlets, politicians and more. Inspired by Brown’s generosity, hundreds showed up to pay their respects.

Heroic acts can be found in all sorts of actions: from acts of bravery to acts of kindness, acts of selflessness to acts of respect. As the students at Summer My Way learned, heroes come in all shapes and sizes.

I encourage you to keep an eye out for these heroic actions, and thank those you encounter for their good deeds. Then, I hope you will pay it forward with your own heroic efforts.

We may not live in an alternate universe, but we can all be heroes.