The FUN has BEGUN!!! (Now If I Only Had Time to Reflect on That…)
I had dinner with my parents this weekend.
We met in Castle Rock at this little, quiet place that has the distinction for us as being the place my sister broke the news of her engagement (to a great guy who treats her very well, and who is making an exceptional addition to the Air Force’s pilot corps as the pilot jock that every little boy wanted to be when he was 8…).
But yes. 8 Weeks. As the parents grilled me on the last two months (over a pretty good beer) I suddenly realized (again) that my life has become this, and this alone. I touched on this theme a bit in a previous posting, but it’s a pretty significant topic, I think…
I’m having fun, undoubtedly, and the days have become increasingly engaging. Firearms (with live ammo, in a blizzard this week!), Arrest Control, Investigative Procedures, etc … it’s all become much more ‘real’. But the tendency has been for me to lose perspective a bit as the intensity has increased – to lose sight of the fact that this stuff that we’re doing, this knowledge we’re gaining, this fun we’re having – is inherently cool and at the same time very, very serious (see my Serious Business post from Week 1).
There’s a strong tendency to get caught up in the work, in the activity, in the excitement and the anxiety…
After my workout tonight, driving home from the gym, I made a kind of pact with myself to step back a bit from time to time during the next 3 months and breathe it in, soak it in, ‘smell it’ so to speak. A transition, a change, a pretty hefty transmutation is happening in the lives of every one of my classmates right now. I’ll still get caught up in it, but I’m going to try and be present for it, to be present fully during this change, and hopefully learn a bit more in the process.
(And have a bit more fun too…)
West Metro Swat gave a pretty wicked presentation, one of the best we’ve had the last two months. Here’s the county’s armored personnel carrier. Cool, eh?
The APC’s baby brother. 
Every one of us was deeply impressed with the SWAT team members who presented the class. I know that many of us (me included) discovered a bit of hero-worship on our faces as the day ended.
The Sergeant sets off a “Flash Bang” explosive device in the Academy parking lot, which blew a few car alarms :)
And stay tuned…for possible video next posting!
