Contrary to what a cynical world tells you, we live in an age of heroes.

They’re all around.

Really. No bull—-.

Sometimes it’s just an act of kindness, a guy who buys umbrellas and hands them out to rain-soaked New Yorkers. Sometimes it’s as serious as the teen who follows a suspicious car until the passenger door pops open, and the 5-year-old subject of an Amber Alert jumps out and runs over to him. Or something else. The fella who ran 110 miles to raise money for cancer research. The rumpled guy with one empty pants leg who came home from far-away to teach kids who need someone who cares.

We’re swimming in heroes.

It doesn’t always seem that way. Listen to the news and you’ll hear about athletes, politicians, and celebrities who aren’t within shouting distance of the struggles of you and me.

But be quiet and listen for the sound of heroes in your midst. People who put others first. They’re whisper-close.

That’s the premise of Every Day Heroes, a feature launched last week on MensHealth.com. Every day this month, we’ll profile a guy who helps others without an eye open for a camera or a pat on the back (though, please, pat away). We hope you find the profiles enlightening, empowering, inspiring. And that you walk away feeling like you can be a hero too. Because we’re convinced you can.

P.S. And when you do, share. Tell our editor, Andrew Daniels (Andrew.Daniels@Rodale.com). Or go to social media and use the hashtag #everydayheroes. We’re less interested in counting the number of times the hashtag gets used and more wanting to see how far these ripples of connection can move beyond these individual stories.