Back to the Grind

To say it's been a long seven months is an understatement.  In the beginning of January, Adam went to the doctor for a sore hip.  What was originally sore turned into excruciating pain in between appointments, culminating in hip surgery at the end of March.  At that point he was told he'd probably be off work for the rest of the summer.

I think in our heads we assumed that meant worst case scenario instead of best case scenario.  After being off of his hip for months either on crutches or a cane, he finally was allowed to go back to work on light duty at the end of June and begin physical therapy in July.  Finally, mercifully, he was cleared to return to full duty in August.

*****

It's so hard to be a police officer these days.  Just before this whole process began, disillusionment had started to set in for Adam.  The grind of night shifts, being disrespected more times that not and a constant stream of media attention made Adam question whether he'd chosen the right profession.  I said it a number of times that this injury couldn't have come at a better time for him.  It allowed him to step back and evaluate, work a light duty "office" job for a few months, and realize he was where he's supposed to be.  That's not to say he went back to work enjoying the night shift or isn't going to be frustrated at the public perception of what he does, but at least he's content with the path he chose.

*****

I mentioned when I wrote about this back in March, that I thought this process would make us stronger.  I think we can safely say that's true.  I learned  I can handle things myself, Adam learned he can let me do things once in a while.  I gained new appreciation for the things he does for our family all the time, he appreciated me for doing these things while he couldn't.  It also gave me a unique perspective into what like will be like when he retires (much earlier than me).  Most notably, we'll need to find more shows we both like to watch during the summer months.  If that's our only problem, I think we'll ease into retirement quite well together.  It helps when you marry your best friend.