What’s This All About?

First responder, PSCO (public safety communications officers) and military careers are intense, consuming and rewarding careers. The intensity however can sometimes be at the expense of healthy living which can exact a hefty cost over the long run. We surround ourselves with people who have similar interests, become consumed pursuing our career and forget to care for ourselves over the short and long term. Developing healthy habits early on in the career is vital. Mindfully updating those habits and adding healthy pursuits as time goes by is even more important. My goal with this blog is to share some of my experiences, thoughts, successes, failures and pursuits with you. It is my most profound hope that in doing so, I might spark an idea or interest that will help a first responder, PSCO, or member of the military live longer, healthier and more fulfilling lives.

As I venture forth on this new endeavor, there are a few things that I should state. First, I am a retired law enforcement officer and not an english professor. I will no doubt make grammar, spelling and usage errors. I apologize in advance for them. I’ll do the best I can to proofread and edit, but if you find those errors, please consider them marks of authenticity. Secondly, I will not be discussing politics here at all. That said, it is important to acknowledge that there is a perception in the 21st century that warriors like first responders, military members and PSCOs are violent, racist, fringe humans bent on destroying all before them. That is the complete opposite of what I have experienced over the course of a nearly thirty year career and over the course of my life. So, in this space I will acknowledge that there are humans in these careers who behave badly, but in smaller numbers than outside the warrior family of careers. Furthermore, no one wants them weeded out more than those within the warrior family and for the purposes of this blog all those within this family are stellar humans until proven otherwise. These warriors are fathers, mothers, sons, daughters, wives, husbands, neighbors, church members, friends, coworkers, people who work tirelessly in the most adverse of conditions and who, on occasion, run toward the sound of gunfire for the altruistic sake of their fellow humans (even those who criticize them harshly). Lastly, I’m not a doctor, lawyer, accountant, financial advisor or mental health professional. Anything contained herein should be considered to be my musings, opinions, experiences and the things I have learned from them. If something here moves you to take action and change a direction in your life, have the personal responsibility to research that move, consult professionals if appropriate and be mindful and deliberate about your decisions.

The photos above are a collage representing some of the themes I hope to touch on. Healthy pursuits (hobbies and past times), healthy living (exercise) and taking time to acknowledge the beauty and wonder of the world around us.

From left to right and top to bottom, here is a brief description of the images and any relevant story connected to them:

Shortly after my oldest son moved out. He let it be known that he would like me to make him a chess board. The board you see is one of the more difficult and time consuming projects I have undertaken. Constructed of white oak and cedar making up the checkerboard and black walnut around the edges, all the wood is locally sourced or reclaimed locally. As imperfect as the man who built it, I was pleased with the outcome none the less as was my son I believe.

I am an avid bicyclist. This is something that I will, no doubt, touch on in other posts in detail. On this particular day, I was on a long ride, got rained on and although initially annoyed by that fact eventually recognized that the rain made the already scenic ride even more beautiful.

While hiking with my wife at Saint Andrews State Park on a recent camping trip, we came upon this lovely Great Egret (I think) wading and looking for it’s brunch. My modest photography skills were barely adequate to capture the beauty of this elegant creature as it seemingly posed for me in the glassy water and reeds.

Most of the photographs I will use here are mine. If they aren’t I’ll try to give credit to those who took them. In this case my friend and coworker (part time job) Linda took this whimsical picture of a cutting board I built for her replete with a wonderful looking chicken dish. Her dog apparently also shared an appreciation for the board, dish or both.

The last image shows off a camera lens of mine and a knife that my son gave me sitting on a table that I built for another friend. My son was apparently amused that I so pleased with the picture that included a less expensive knife than he had requested a picture of. I liked it however. The table was a labor of love for a wonderful person, the knife a gift from my amazing son, the lens a gift from my wife and life partner and the photograph and hobby of photography inspired by my father and my son.

If you made it this far, congratulations! Thank you for taking the time to read this. Stay healthy. Stay safe.