What happens when heroes become human?

Tim Tebow.

There's something about that guy that always felt super human to me.

I remember watching him win the Heisman Trophy and two National Championships with Florida. The speech he gave, which was quickly turned into a plaque, is the stuff of legends. He then did some fun things in the NFL and even in professional baseball. Tebow is on the short list of the closest we have to a real-life super heroes.

I had a chance to meet him a few weeks ago. I said to a friend before the meeting, "I normally don't get excited about meeting celebrities or famous people, but come on, this is TIM TEBOW. I feel like I have to get a selfie with this dude."

And then, when I had the chance to get a Tebow selfie, as people were lining up to meet him, something strange happened for me.

He became human.

I wasn't expecting that. In that moment, I no longer had a desire for selfie. I didn't feel the need to shake his hand or even ask him a question. It was enough for me to have listened to him share so passionately about what he was up to these days.

It was a strange feeling to have this larger-than-life inspirational celebrity figure transform in a few moments into another human on his path trying to do some good in this world.

Looking back now, I can now appreciate that this unlocked another level of empathy for me. I am forever grateful for that moment with Tim even though it will never be documented in the halls of Instagram.