The first month of Luke's training is now complete, and we have started to adjust to life at the Academy. We have a system down to get Luke out the door, prepared for the day by 5:20 A.M., and another one that is set in motion when Luke walks in the door a little after 5 P.M. to get him ready for the next day (head shaving, boot polishing, uniform pressing, PT clothes washing, lunch packing, etc etc) that lasts pretty much until the moment we head to bed. Our markers of an extraordinary day: if Luke is able to keep up with the instructors on the grueling daily hill runs, and if we make it to bed by 9:30 -- yes, we're old. :)
I wondered if after the first week or two things might become a little more lax, but the opposite is true. As time goes on, more is expected from these guys, and anything less than perfection is met with lots and lots of running. In addition, their law classes are now in full swing, so Luke's nightly routine now also includes me quizzing him on the state code.
As far as his class goes, the recruit numbers are definitely waning -- his class of 53 now has just 38. After such a rigorous process of interviewing, it surprises me the number of people who have dropped out. That said, with the level of intensity of this training, I'm also kinda surprised that this many continue to show up each day. :)
Most people who left just decided they didn't want the job badly enough. Several also said that their families couldn't handle it. The most recent losses, however, have been people who were giving it all they had, but either injury (two torn rotator cuffs, a torn quad, etc) or grades (below a 75 on the law exams) have prevented them from being able to continue. Those are the losses that are tough for the group.
While it can feel frustrating that the instructors are pretty much dictating our time at home with their extremely high expectations, on the other hand, I have a great respect for the motivation behind the demands for excellence. We know from study after study that what brings our guys safely home at night is acute attention to detail, and precise execution of learned tactics. So, we continue to iron and press and quiz and polish and pack lunches, knowing there is a reason for this demanding game -- and in just four more months, Luke will be back to one of his favorite things, this time in a much bigger arena.
In the midst of this schedule, as far as the three of us go, we're doing really well. To be honest, it's been challenging and humbling to trade our life in Homewood -- where Luke was established in his job, we owned a home, and got time together each day -- for Academy life. Luke and I both like to be independent, and in this stage of our lives, we just need a lot more than we usually do. Our families are storing our stuff, caring for our puppy, and putting us up -- not to mention helping love on and care for our little guy, and more recently letting us borrow their cars since mine was totaled. It's amazing to me that even greater than the love we have for Jack or that our parents have for us, is the love our Father has for us. Talk about humbling...
When the days are long, the blessings of now, the hope of the future, and our sweet little guy provide the perspective that though this stage is challenging, life is so very, very good.
