Dear Inconvenienced Citizen...

I understand that having your street blocked off for a short time this afternoon was an inconvenience.  My own plans for the day had to be changed as well.  But that officer in the bomb suit? The one you were complaining about taking so long?  He was dripping sweat in there, called in on a day off, the day after a nasty cold had him in bed all day, his joints were probably hurting and he's also getting over the shingles.  But he went through all of that discomfort and, yes, inconvenience, in order to safely dispose of a live explosive device.  A device that could have gone off and damaged your property.  Hurt you.  Injured your child.

And that same officer?  He has a family of his own.  A family who never, for a second, forgets that he wants to come home to them.  So I'm sorry you had to wait for them to clear the street before you could continue on to your own home.  Every single police officer on your street this afternoon had a family waiting for them as well.  One of them has a wee blonde hair toddler and another on the way.  Another has two little ones who were probably in bed before he made it home tonight.  One of them is retiring next month--after 30 years of putting his own plans and life on hold just so you and your family can sleep in peace.

Is a little inconvenience too much to pay for your well being?  Because that officer sweating pounds away in the bomb suit?  He was willing to break his promise to his own two small children and to his wife--the promise that he will always come home--to put his life on the line for you, dear citizen.  So that you could make it safely home to your own children.  So next time? Take a moment, look beyond your own self and try to see the situation from his point of view before you bitch on a public forum about how inconvenienced you were on your way home from the grocery store.

Sincerely,

The Wife.