crisis vs the mundane

I have always thought it was easier to deal with a crisis than to succeed with the mundane.  I have had crises in my life and they have been painful and horrible as defined by the word crisis, but they have had obvious "solutions" or at least desired ends which suggest an obvious direction.  A crisis typically has a beginning and an end.  The mundane just is...and is...and is.  It is hard to be successful at the mundane because success is only slightly better than nothing and nothing is only slightly better than failure when you are dealing with the mundane.

I've always been irritated by people referring to mundane acts as heroic, but perhaps I should rethink that.  (I won't though).  Some people call the parent who cares for their child and makes the typical, expected sacrifices for their child a hero.  The dad who goes to work every day, the mom who gives up manicures for little league fees...are they truly "heroes"?  They are succeeding at the mundane, but is that heroic?

What about the guy who pulls the child from a burning building, risking his own life?  Is he a hero?  He succeeded in a crisis.  What if he is a deadbeat dad that used to beat his wife?  He succeeded in a crisis, but not the mundane.  A crisis is easier.  It doesn't take stamina.  Or does it?

Does a crisis have to have a staccato beat?  Was the cold war a crisis?  It certainly lasted a long time.  Is cancer a crisis?  It can be sudden and brief, but also can be monotonous.  Death is certainly a crisis for the subject and yet it too can be long and tedious.  Of course I don't know how tedious it is for the subject, but from the outside...pain, exhaustion, and tedium.

Epic...depth or breadth?  Sprint or marathon?  Hero or regular Jo (or Joe)?