Jumpline MAG_Spring 2026 - Flipbook - Page 46
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Caught in the Current
It started like any other shift as of late.
I was sitting by the rocks over at Haulover inlet, caught in my
own thoughts...quiet, heavy ones. The kind that doesn’t always
make sense but still manages to weigh you down and drain
you. The type of mental beatdowns that puts you into deeper
thoughts, and I was just stuck there.
That’s when it all happened. That’s when I saw the bird. From
the corner of my eye, I saw something swoop down towards
the inlet. I glanced over and saw the bird get wiped out by a
wave before it could level out. A pigeon to be exact...just sitting
there, stuck in the current. Not 昀氀ying. Not moving forward. Just
trying to survive and stay above the water. Struggling more and
more, as each moment passed.
If I’m being honest, my 昀椀rst thought wasn’t the greatest. I
kind of shrugged it off, “I guess that’s just life and today’s your
day buddy”. Yet, almost immediately after those thoughts, I
witnessed a series of events that I’ll never forget. Something
started to happen. Other birds started showing up. To be more
speci昀椀c, they were circling the pigeon. Not attacking. Not leaving. Not helping. Just....there. As if things weren’t already interesting enough, a pelican came out of nowhere and landed
right next to it. Not to save it. Not to 昀椀x it. Just to sit beside it. I
remember thinking, “what is this, what’s going on here...is this
really happening?”
It was nature in motion.
For about 20 minutes, nothing really changed. The current
kept working against it, making it harder just to stay above water. The 昀椀ght looked exhausting. And that’s when it hit me. That
struggle looked way too familiar. Not out there in the water,
but within us. Because I’ve seen that same 昀椀ght in us way too
many times.
As 昀椀re昀椀ghters, we’re trained and wired to be the ones who
jump in – to 昀椀x, to save, to step into action when everything is
falling apart. It’s just what we do. We show up. We take control.
We solve the problem. But nobody really talks about what it
feels like when you’re the one that’s not ok...when you’re the
one trying to stay a昀氀oat...when you’re the one Caught in the
Current.
Author “A”
When the calls start piling up. When the things we’ve seen
don’t leave our heads. When sleep becomes a luxury - and
then just stops coming. When the weight follows us home, and
we’re there – but not really present.
Sometimes we’re that bird. Struggling. Tired.
Drifting. Trying to stay a昀氀oat without letting
anyone see we are going under. Not always
drowning, but not far from it either. And the
truth is...a lot of the times, we’re not even
looking for someone to save us. We just don’t
want to be alone. And sometimes, just being
there for each other...that’s enough.
That pelican didn’t do anything special. It just stayed there...
right in the middle of the struggle. No big moment. No quick 昀椀x.
No dramatic rescue. It just didn’t leave. I think that’s where a
lot of us miss it. That kind of presence matters more than we
realize.
We think strength means having the answer. We think leadership means 昀椀xing everything. We think brotHERhood means
always being the one doing the saving. And we put a lot of pressure on ourselves because of that – on the job, at home, and
with each other. But it’s not about having the answers. Some-
times it just means sitting next to someone
during their storm.
Eventually, I was able to 昀氀ag down a police boat. He was still a
good distance away, but somehow, he understood what I was
trying to signal. He scooped the bird out of the water, placed it
inside his boat, and started making his way back towards the
dock. I jumped in my truck and met him there.
His name was Rob and he works for the local PD Marine Unit.
It was my 昀椀rst time ever meeting him. You could tell right away,
he was a good guy. Kind, compassionate, and had a sense of
humor (that sense of humor...yeah, that’s a story for another
day). He handed the bird over to me and told me to keep him
posted. No hesitation, no questions – just helped and kept it
moving. True professionalism.
The bird was weak. Shivering. You could see it was completely
worn out. I wrapped it in a towel, cranked up the heat in my
Spring 2026 | JUMPLINE Magazine
