Amanda-Leigh and Officer Chad Peery's Courage

Mid-April has arrived. There are many things on my mind. Some thoughts are only known to my keeper (not my husband!). I have gratitude that I may not express as often as I need. Yesterday was a tragic, sad day for our nation and fellow Oklahomans. A bomb exploded during the Boston Marathon and a young police officer passed away in a hospital. All of this happened when I checked Facebook to see how my friends were doing. My friends were naturally as shaken up as I was.

Two things I loved about Officer Chad Peery were his strength and determination. This man passed away yesterday afternoon after surviving the last two years as a paralyzed man. The paralysis did not happen naturally. Rather, Officer Peery tried to break up a bar fight one night while he was watching a sports game with his father at a bar. Officer Peery was off-duty at the time. Afterwards, Officer Peery’s life changed. He became a paralyzed man who provided strength for men and women like me. 

Writing about this man’s devotion to the police force tears me up inside as I write. When Officer Peery chose the field of law enforcement, he became a public servant. From my knowledge of law enforcement, I am aware the field can be difficult at times. Police officers can suffer from burnout, family problems, being hurt on the job, and being put in difficult situations. This leads an officer to question his or her own dedication to the field. If an applicant is not willing to work off the clock, what is the point?  

A Bachelor of Science is required for modern policing. An applicant without a Bachelor of Science can be hired for easy tasks such as desk duty and filing. To be considered for a promotion in the department, an applicant must have a higher level of education. I have often wondered the reasoning behind this, and this high standard is controversial to several Americans. What can an applicant with a higher level of college do better than an applicant that has had more experience with the real world?

From Officer Peery and other great influences, I have been motivated to go back for my Bachelors of Arts. I was once a woman who skipped a college literature course to watch groups performing at concerts on my former college campus. I questioned why I was attending college, where education would lead me, and why nobody could see past the education to see the person I was. From this perspective, the world seemed like a cruel and unforgiving place. This was not the good old eighties, where kind elderly people gave people chances. Those days have passed.

When I watched news reports on Officer Peery’s condition, I was still recovering from blood clots and a hysterectomy. I kept an active journal. Every thought was produced on paper by pen. I rejected modern technology to write with. As I saw Officer Peery on television, strength and hope were provided to me. Here was a police officer, a son, a husband, and a father whose life forever changed because of a bar fight. The reality tore my heart out at the seams. This crossover was more cruel than my condition where I became physically disabled in March of 1980. This officer had children whose eyes watched his every movement. This man continued to be a public servant.

I continue to pursue my education online. After reading about my great literary friends’ success, I believe getting more college education is meant for me. For the summer, I am enrolled in Creative Writing and Comparative Religions. One textbook is required for Creative Writing while there are close to five for Comparative Religions. All of this must be completed before August. The average person would probably be overwhelmed by this must reading in college. Believe me, I am. I can feel the stress without college even beginning for over a month.  

One thing I have learned during the past few years is that God does not give us more than we can handle. Granted, going back to college is time consuming and often leads me to staying inside working most of the time. I read until my eyes need rest. I enjoy participating in class discussions, writing papers, and being liberated from the stubborn old views I may have had. College enriches my life. This is where I do not feel the disability. Each time I write, there are no chains of steel confining me to one corridor in modern society.

Reflecting back to the woman who a skipped literature course, I can honestly say I am glad I did. I would never have been the person I am today. I was able to seek out college courses that were specially designed for students like me who struggle with social phobias, meeting daily class schedules, weather threats, and other challenges. Since returning to college, I have never questioned why I have given college courses my one hundred percent. I want to learn how to write better and become more aware of humanity as a culture and art. I do not wish to remain as a flat character in my society. I wish to become a round character and change as new ideas are presented to me.

I will admit, the reading part has me a little concerned. I chose to return to college, and extensive reading is part of the package. Is this something I can handle? Do I feel confident? Do I doubt myself as a student? Do I have the energy to read and write so much in such a short period of time? These are question I consider entering every course. I am certain Officer Peery and heroes face similar questions. 

To An Athlete Dying Young

A. E. Houseman

THE time you won your town the race
We chaired you through the market-place;
Man and boy stood cheering by,
And home we brought you shoulder-high.
To-day, the road all runners come,	\
Shoulder-high we bring you home,
And set you at your threshold down,
Townsman of a stiller town.
Smart lad, to slip betimes away
From fields where glory does not stay,
And early though the laurel grows
It withers quicker than the rose.
Eyes the shady night has shut
Cannot see the record cut,
And silence sounds no worse than cheers
After earth has stopped the ears:
Now you will not swell the rout
Of lads that wore their honours out,
Runners whom renown outran
And the name died before the man.
So set, before its echoes fade,
The fleet foot on the sill of shade,
And hold to the low lintel up
The still-defended challenge-cup.
And round that early-laurelled head
Will flock to gaze the strengthless dead,
And find unwithered on its curls
The garland briefer than a girl's.