After writing more than 400 of these Hidden Heroes columns featuring just a few of the thousands of inspiring people in our community, I've finally started to work on the book I have been thinking and talking about for the last few years; a collection of stories to be called "Our Hidden Heroes: Life Lessons from Those Who Lived Them".

I knew these 400 stories all had value but when I began to review them, I must say I was amazed at how powerful they are and how much these people have to teach us about life and how to live it to the full.

You may remember Dwayne Schultz's story. Life had given him a pretty good kick in the pants and he was reaching rock bottom when someone told him a story about a 75 year old man talking to a piano player saying how he regretted never having learned to play the piano.

"I could teach you to play everything you heard me play tonight in less than a year," the piano player responded but the elderly man didn't even want to think about it. He knew he was far too old to begin learning to play such a complicated instrument.

"So what do you want to be," the piano player asked, "a 76 year old piano player or a 76 year old man wishing he could play the piano?"

That story led to a dramatic change in Dwayne's life over the next year or so, and I'm sure most of us would have something to gain if we spent a little time contemplating it.

When I speak to groups, I often talk about Roxanne Allen, a single mom who partnered with another single mom to buy a house on Old Victoria Road, an area challenged with drug, alcohol and prostitution problems.

Roxanne decided she was going to do whatever she could to improve the community. To that end she sat on her front porch whenever she had a few spare moments and said hello to everyone that walked by. Also when walking her dog, she walked with her head up and a smile on her face.

Before long she had met dozens of people in the community, introduced them to one another and soon they too began to envision a cleaner, healthier community.

All this happened in the very early growth stages of the Neighbours of Nob Hill group and good things have been happening ever since. I'll bring you up to date with them next week. Small things, small first steps, really can make a big difference.

These are just a couple of stories that came to mind this morning. You'll have to wait for the book to read a hundred or so others, but given the small amount of time I seem to be able to carve out to work on the project, that may take a couple of years.