I received the following email from a medically retired police officer from San Diego who had been shot while trying to precent an off-duty shooting. He speaks of what he has learned from the incident. It’s a great story about personal growth out of a tragedy.
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“I was formerly employed as a Deputy for the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department for 13 years with the majority of my time spent on our full time S.W.A.T. team.
“I was involved in an incident off-duty where I was shot several times attempting to disarm a gang banging felon straight out of prison.
“I was medically retired as a result of my injuries but left with my head held high and a positive message to send using my story.
“Now that the trial is concluded… I recently wrote about my story on our family blog and wanted to share it with your publication.
Thank you,
Jason Philpot
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“With the world going crazy and everyone forced into solitude, it’s a good time to pause, be present, and reflect on the things that matter. There isn’t a day that goes by I don’t think about how lucky I am to be alive and feel gratitude for my health. I haven’t always been kind to my body over the years and I’m a little banged up, but who isn’t? The aches and pains of my past surgeries and broken bones are always present, but I do my best to embrace them as reminders of lessons learned. I think that’s what pain ultimately is, a reminder. A souvenir of life’s teaching so we don’t repeat mistakes, to help us remember what we’ve learned, and ultimately to feel gratitude for the times we feel amazing. Life is about contrast, without pain, there would be no pleasure. However, tuning into the pain and dwelling in it rather than gratitude leads us away from pausing to consider how lucky we are to be here. It’s been several years since I was shot, and now that the court case is over, I decided it’s time to write about my experience and how it’s impacted the way I live….”
You can read the full story HERE.
Improving Police: A Necessary Conversation 