I crawled across the room and flipped on the light. That’s when I realized that the switch was rigged to a bomb in the closet. Bang! Shrapnel flew onto my face and my ears would not stop ringing. How could I let this happen. My first day on the job and I already blew it. Shortly afterwards I woke up, and realized it was all a dream. It was 7:00 in the morning and I had to prepare for my first day as a police officer.

I had found myself experiencing similar dreams in the days after being promoted from part-time desk employee at the station to an actual police officer. You hear horror stories in the station that have varying levels of credibility but it still paints a good enough picture to run through a person’s mind. I should not have been so nervous yet I still found myself worried awaiting my first day, which was finally here. Even something as simple as brushing my teeth proved to be a challenge. What if something goes wrong on my first day? Will I ever get another chance in the force? Eventually I put myself together enough to escape the padded cell that was my apartment and make it to my car.

Red light. Green light. Red light. Green light. The drive seemed to take hours, yet it was only a twenty minute affair. At least the pause in time gave me a chance to console my fears and mentally reset. Being a police officer requires a fearless attitude and the acceptance that danger lies ahead at any moment. If I made it through the chore that was high school I can make it through this, right? Regardless of how I felt it didn’t matter any longer. I was there and the dreams faded away into the past where they belonged. I got out of my car, walked to the door, and went inside. This is where I become a new man.