Kate Cataldo

I have finally called off the search.

Two weeks I spent looking through old boxes in search of the last copy of an essay I wrote in the eighth grade.

It wasn’t just any essay, though.

This thing won first place in the competition it was submitted to through my local V.F.W. when living in southeast Pennsylvania.

Local veterans brought me on stage and presented me with my prize and everything.

The spotlight was on me, which I highly dislike. This may be why this part of my memory is more profound than the actual essay itself. At that moment, I wished I had never written that essay.

The 100 dollar bond I won doesn’t seem like much now. But, it did eventually help me buy my first car, so it wasn’t all bad.

At the time I wrote the essay, I really didn’t think it was good enough to win, but it did.

The topic was broad, but also obvious.

What is a patriot?

I clearly was creative enough to bring a new perspective to the idea.

The only thing I really remember about the essay was that I started with looking up the definition of a patriot. So here I am, pulling up good ‘ol Google, and looking that same word up again, in an attempt to rewrite what a patriot means to me now.

Why? Because I think it’s important.

And, if I remember correctly, I was giving praise to the unsung heroes that really make up this world. These are the people we also need to be grateful for and give thanks to.

So here it goes.

When I first Googled “patriot definition”, you will find a patriot is defined by “a person who vigorously supports their country and is prepared to defend it at all costs.”

Of course our minds think of our first responders and medical professionals working in hospitals on the front line. We also think of our loved ones serving in the armed forces.

The people we don’t think of are the ones who also make sacrifices daily in order to fight for their freedom, their land, and their families.

I’m talking about social workers who fight for children who don’t have a home or meals to eat. I am also talking about the stay-at-home mom who works endlessly to raise the future of the world. The dads who work long hours to provide for their families. Business owners, labor workers, politicians, artists, every single soul.

There are unsung heroes everywhere, and it’s about time we all get praise for the good work and contributions we make to society.

Humans are not meant to just live to die. There is more to life than paying bills and putting in hours at the nine-to-five.

So, are our modern true patriots the ones pushing to move forward to highlight the good things and conquer those “evil demons” and negativity?

Are the true patriots the ones making moves to create a paradise here on earth?

Because that’s a movement I can get behind.

I believe now is a time for building each other up. What does your paradise look like?

What’s stopping you from achieving this?

Don’t be afraid to ask for help, there will always be people on your side ready to fight for your cause and resonate with your purpose.

I will tell you what, no patriot is someone who lives in a fear-based, scarce mindset.

This is a time for sharing, helping, connecting and uniting, not the other way around.

We may not be able to physically right now, but luckily we have technology to keep us together for the time being.

With an abundance mindset you will find that there are plenty of resources on this earth to go around. There will always be enough for you, and more to be invented or discovered. The only way we work is together, and with social distancing, we have proven to ourselves that no matter how much distance you put between us we will always find a way to fight for what is right and what we believe in.

The more we all focus on helping instead of hurting, we will all become true patriots.