“Just a girl who married a knight in dirty turnouts”
Sometimes this “fire life” is great. He’s home every other day or four days in a row. We can take trips and see each other during the day, we can go to the gym together at lunch, any number of things- when he’s home. But when he’s not, he’s not. He’s gone for 24 hours at a time and while that may not seem like a lot when he gets to be home so many days in a month; that can take its toll sometimes. It takes its toll when he tells me he loves me and it’s a real fire and he’ll text when he can- it shows up in eating dinner alone, spending time with the dog (he knows Dad is gone), exercising again to pass an hour, reading a book, doing the dishes, swapping the laundry to burn 20 minutes- anything to curb the anxiety of not knowing what’s going on until I get that coveted text saying he’s ok and everything is all good (for now). I know I live a privileged life and I’m so incredibly thankful for the people like my husband who are built to be first responders because I couldn’t do it. The emotional and often times physical and mental toll it can take on these men and women is unreal. Literally unbelievable to those of us who don’t have to see horrific events up close and then have to lay our heads down and sleep knowing we did our best for the day but you just can’t save everyone or everything. I (and others) know the life I’ve married into- and I’m thankful for it-today and every day. My guiding light is the hope that he comes home safe and sound after each and every shift. Until he decides to hang up the helmet and soot -stained dirty turnouts, he’ll be someone’s hero on their worst day- but to me, he’ll be mine- each and every day. This is just a small snippet of what fire police military EMS personnel go through daily, weekly, yearly- thank one the next time you see them.