Tree Top Hero

From the depths of the oceans, the worst parts of the inner city, or from planets unknown heroes assemble, with thousands of origins scaling from radioactive contamination to mystical electrical storms. These are the stories that cloud the first memories of childhood, and turn boys into men. The inspirations to volunteer in your community, help an elderly woman across the street, or even pick up a piece of trash that didn't quite make it in the can. Where some might learn morals from their uptight pre-K teacher, caped crusaders taught me how to be righteous. It was in my childhood house, at the top of my favorite tree, with comics tightly gripped to my chest where I'd find myself in worlds of amazement. As the youngest kid on my street, besides my younger brother who spent most of his time crying in a cradle, friends weren't easy to come by. Instead I found comfort in my tree, high above those who rejected me. While cretins came from blocks around to bike down my fair street, my only solace came from fantasies of heroism. With high hopes I waited for the day I could swoop in and save the damsel, and my neighbors would cheer from Mr. Rosati's all the way down to Mrs. Daisy's. I would stand tall above all others. I would be respected.
         Long summers and cold winters I waited, countless days and countless comic books. Up in that tree, above my street, I waited for my moment of glory. Some days I felt like a hero, picking up sweet old ladies mail and bringing it to their porches, mowing neighbor's lawns without asking for so much as a nickel, or taking the six neighborhood dogs on walks, but my big break never came. Sure I found comfort in doing good deeds and always will, but I grew up. Too big for those branches to support my weight, too big for my Fortress of Solitude, I turned into a man. A man with morals that will do right by the world. A man who doesn't need a tree and a handful of comics to feel good about himself.
         If offered the role of the villain or the hero in a movie I would take the role of a villain. Although I found so much comfort in being a hero as a child, life isn't about staying your comfort zone. Life is about doing new and frightening things, with new and frightening people. Life is about taking risks and sticking with your decisions. Life is about learning from the past, not dwelling in it, and most of all life is about leaving your trees behind.