A Firefighter

 I rolled out of my van and saw the modest building where life-saving training takes place. It was three stories tall, which was presumably intentional. Everything was concrete and steel. Fire trucks and equipment were in the parking lot and scattered throughout the mini campus. My brother, David, strode over, looking confident and ready to graduate from the Fire Academy. In his blue T-shirt and Carhartt pants, he greeted our parents, his girlfriend, and me.

“Let me give you a tour,” David said.

We went through various rooms, and he explained that all the rooms could be filled with fire, which is how they train. The rooms were filled with typical furniture: beds, tables, and chairs. Then there were the rooms filled with dummies, which were very creepy. You think Halloween decorations are scary? They are child's play compared to this.

“I would put this guy's legs over my legs, cross his arms over his chest, and drag him down the stairs,” David stated.

This just got very real. I will never look at a dummy the same way again.

It was time for the ceremony! With classical music playing that made your heart swell, an instructor called out, “Hup, two!” and the graduates marched through the back door in single file. They were seated at the bottom of the circular theater. I've never seen David so serious in my life. As he walked past us, I was smiling, but he couldn't smile back. I didn't realize at the time that he was expected to maintain a serious expression, so I was really thrown off.

The graduating class was told to be “at ease,” and they all sat down in unison. One of the instructors spoke about how character and accountability are defined when nobody is watching. Graduation speeches are good reminders that character matters, and all the clichés, such as “Don't stop believing” and “Follow your dreams,” are good to hear once every few years. 

I wanted to bawl when David first marched in, and when he received his certificate, my heart swelled with pride. Like every little guy, when he was around five or six years old, he wanted to be a firefighter. Of course, that dream changed a million times, but to see that little boy become a firefighter was really special.

I get a front-row seat to my siblings' lives. They have both had to overcome unique challenges, and I sit there, ridiculously proud of them, because they are two really wonderful individuals.

On top of all of this, we got to eat dinner together. David's girlfriend is absolutely lovely, and I got to catch up with her. She's just about to finish her residency in OB-GYN, and they make a very cute couple.

As for me, I've been emailing principals every day about speaking at their schools. If you know of a potential connection, I'd love to hear about it. I do have a corporate speaking engagement coming up, and you'll definitely hear about that.

Life's good. I truly cannot complain.

Happy Halloween, 

Hannah!