Last Saturday night I finished my regular shift and then worked overtime for a half marathon that was being held in our city. The briefing for the event was at 3:30AM.

During the briefing I sat with the other officers, volunteers and police explorers who were working the event also. As I sat there, an overwhelming urge to yawn came over me. I tried to hold it back, but there was no fighting it. Then another yawn came. It was like waves crashing on the beach with one coming after the other.

Next came the urge to rub my eyes. It was like I had pajamas on and someone was reading a Curious Geogre bedtime story to me. I took my glasses off and rubbed my eyes. Boy, this was going to be a long night.

After briefing, I drove to Starbucks because I was craving a cup of coffee. I stood in line, hoping the next few hours would go by fast. My bed seemed like a much better idea at the moment. I glanced behind me and there was my friend Rich standing behind a group of people. He was working the event also, but in another capacity. We had talked earlier, but I didn’t expect to see him after briefing.

Rich was my first parter and best man at my wedding. I got my cup and we instantly started laughing about random stuff as we stood inside of Starbucks. It was as if  a light switch was flicked on inside of me. I was wide awake now and ready for the next few hours of overtime.

He was exactly what I needed at 4AM when I was half asleep. There’s nothing like a cup of coffee with an old friend to make things better.