cops have hobbies too

Something that has been cracking me up lately is the apparent shock that HF has other interests than being a police officer. It's true! He actually enjoys other things than guns, ammunition, working out, chest bumping, etc. Has everyone forgotten that just two years ago he was doing the same things that they like to do for fun? He just has a different day night job now.

I find myself wondering if I used to assume all police officers were jocks that were into bullying and shooting things up. Nope. I don't think I ever assumed that all cops were just tough guys in one form or another. Granted, some of them are, but I think if you look a little closer, you will find that cops are more than just "thugs with a gun" (to quote my favorite misrepresentation of the po po by the general public).

I love to see the mouths drop to the floor when I answer questions about HF's education. He went to an art school back east for painting and printmaking and then he transferred to the university that I was attending out west to be closer to me and changed his major because he didn't think being an artist would take care of a family (I never said anything that persuaded him to do this, and told him he could do whatever he wanted to do, but THANK GOD). He got a degree in Psychology and next year he is planning on starting on his MPA degree. People find it so strange that he went to art school. He is still passionate about art. His most recent piece of work was an oil commissioned by me for the guest bathroom. He currently gives our daughter art lessons. She shares his passion for art.

The other love in HF's life is music. He taught himself to play the guitar as a teenager and enjoyed writing his own music and performing it at local coffee shops and wherever else he could. When we were living at opposite sides of the country, he sent me a CD of his music. I swooned. I still love listening to him sing and play and I know he wishes he could do it more. He would love to be able to perform and record his own music and make a living as a musician. He makes up the best songs to sing to our kids and before GLEE made it famous, I overheard him singing a beautiful acoustic version of Journey's Don't Stop Believin' for the kids at bedtime. They loved it, but probably not as much as me. He loves tape cassette players. Any kind. He kind of collects them. He also owns more tape cassettes than any other human I'm sure. I have tried so many times to get him to donate his tape collection, but I no longer ask because I think it hurts his feelings. He wins any and all music trivia questions.

He still enjoys all things manly. He enjoys guns not just for training purposes. He loves playing airsoft as much as I will let him play (airsoft is the one thing that makes me not happy-long story), he loves video games, camping, hiking, all things outdoors and sporty, he is a search and rescue volunteer, he is a survival enthusiast. He is a gear whore. He researches and tries out all kinds of gear and among his friends and family, he is the go to guy about gear. He is also well read and loves to watch movies. He can browse at the library like no one else, and then when he brings home movies for date night, I want to scratch my eyeballs out because they are things like the biography of Abraham Lincoln or some old western or weird sci-fi, etc. But I like that about him.

The most surprising thing in my opinion, is that people can't understand how "a guy like HF could be a cop" because he is so nice and sweet and funny (They haven't seen him with his game face on). He has never been the stereotype that people attribute to cops. But I think his personality makes him a great cop. I think it takes all kinds to make a good cop. HF is a people person. He has a way of making people calm down and trust him. That doesn't mean he doesn't know how to react in other ways when necessary however. He is a good guy. He has always been good. He never went through a rebellious stage, he was always certain of who he was and what he believed and wanted in life. He follows the golden rule. He is a better parent and person than I am and he continues to show all who know him that he is a good person who loves his country and mankind. That is HF in a nutshell. I expect his rebellious streak to show up at anytime. . .

So what I want to know, is what makes you or yours so "unlike" a cop? What are your hobbies when you aren't leaping off of skyscrapers and clinging onto getaway helicopters? I want to know. I think we will see some interesting results! Things that will just shock the socks off of any non LEO readers!