How this simple, blurry photo captures the forgotten reality of life as a police officer.

Upon first glance, Brittany Davis’ Facebook photo doesn’t look like much. It’s slightly blurred, not quite centred, and almost looks as if it was snapped by accident. But when put in context with her moving caption, it’s a different image altogether, shedding light on the real lives of police officers.

“Tonight we went to dinner with a friend at our local Golden Corral. As we were sitting at our table eating and laughing, two uniform-clad sheriff’s deputies walked in. Both of them were on their cell phones when they entered, and they seemed a bit tense as they approached the dining area,” Davis began her post.

"I watched as they made their way around the buffet and assembled their plates, eventually settling opposite each other at a table close to ours. Then, no sooner than they had sat down, their radios started blaring... shots fired in a neighboring community," the post continued.

"Without a moment's hesitation the officers were on their feet and out the door, leaving their meals completely untouched."

"It made me wonder just how many people would be willing to leave their dinners and head directly into a dangerous situation to help a complete stranger. My guess is not many," Davis continued.

"I just wanted to take this opportunity to say thank you to our officers. Thank you for the missed meals. Thank you for the sleepless nights. Thank you for the family time you've sacrificed. Most importantly, thank you for serving and protecting. You truly are everyday heroes," she wrote finally.

Listen: Charlie Bezzina talks about life in the force with Meshel Laurie. Post continues... 

Shortly after being posted, Davis' story was shared by Love What Matters and has since been shared over 5500 times, received over 30,000 likes and almost 600 comments.

"I'm a 911 dispatcher and unfortunately, this happens often. We do our best to give our responding units a moment to breathe, refuel their vehicles, stop at a bathroom or inhale a meal but the unpredictable nature of emergency services usually has other plans," one mother commented.

"My daughter is a police officer and my husband is a firefighter. I'm all too familiar with this scenario...my heart just stops when their radios go off," another wrote.

"Thank you for this post. I am the wife of an officer. It warms my heart to see that people are thankful for their service and sacrifices," another shared.