It's amazing how much a little gesture can mean.
I was really blown away today by it. I have about a mile to walk between my work and the train station, and I see all sorts of people each day. On Friday afternoons, if I see any police officers on the street, I make sure to tell at least one of them to have a nice weekend. This afternoon, I did just that - stopped right before I got to the stairwell to go to the train, took out my headphones, and told the young cop to have a nice weekend. The smile he gave me - oh, it warmed my heart. It was a smile that showed he clearly meant it, and that it had brightened his day. He told me to do the same, but it didn't matter - my weekend was already made by his smile. (It also helped that he was cute.)
It just got me thinking, y'know? If one person can make a police officer smile that brightly by just wishing them to have a nice weekend, it makes me curious and a little sad that people don't stop to talk to them more often. We all know police officers are on the street on a daily basis - even if we don't see them, we know they're there. Especially this weekend, on the tenth anniversary of the tragedy that struck the United States, we should be all the more thankful for those individuals who help keep us safe.
Next week, when I tell a police officer to have a nice weekend, I'm gonna add something else: thank you. Thank you for risking your health and safety to keep our nation safe. Thank you for doing the job that people often don't appreciate you for. Thank you for honoring our great nation.
To all the police officers, firefighters, and public officials who work day in and day out to keep our nation safe - thank you.
God Bless America.