Despite all the headlines about obesity and illiteracy, there are many Canadians, possibly in your own backyard, making an effort to be healthy and help thy neighbour, too!

For me it started with a superhero drawing that required a lot of red. I ran out of red colouring pencil, but had almost full green and yellow ones. Those colours and the headline of childhood obesity being on the rise, while literacy rates were on the decline inspired me to use my passion to help change those devastating statistics. I was going to write a story about a young boy, Sammy, who becomes a superhero to help rectify this sad situation.

Looking from my green and yellow pencil crayons to the popular superhero I was drawing and back again, I realized I could create a Canadian superhero personality –polite, creative, healthy and helpful. When I drew him, I knew he had to be called BananaBoy – the boy who helps his followers, in non-violent or demanding ways, to understand the importance of health, wellbeing and overall happiness.

Although BananaBoy looks like an everyday kid, his adventures are fun and unique, though not so extreme that an everyday human couldn’t handle them. BananaBoy shows his friends how easy it is to adopt good eating and exercising habits and ensures his followers can mimic his actions easily.

It hasn't been easy, to say the least. No big movie companies have come knocking, minimal coverage has been provided by local media and BananaBoy has yet to learn to fly, but he will.

BananaBoy isn't some mythical creature out to perform magic and miracles. In fact, he started as my nephew, a young boy going for seconds of fruit instead of going to the desert table. Now he's my son, William, who drinks milk and water instead of juice. And, most importantly, he's your child who fills up on vegetables and fruits, plays outside instead of inside playing video games and reads instead of watches TV.

Even in the cold Canadian winter many of us are taking advantage of festivals, activities and the great outdoors. I know a lot of Canadians who need to celebrate the fact that they are making right choices, no matter how small they may seem. I know how contagious happiness is, as well as how addictive healthy eating, reading and being active can be, so pass your healthy lifestyle habits along, and become an everyday superhero like Sammy.

How are you passing along your smile and good health? I'm sure you're doing it without even thinking, but it's time to shout it out.

by Sarah Butland, Moncton, NB

Sarah was born in Ontario in 1982. She now resides in New Brunswick, and is married to her high school sweetheart. They have superstar son named William, a dog named Corona and a cat named Russ who all make her house a home.

www.SarahButland.com

www.AdventuresOfSammy.com

www.BananaBoyFans.com