I know he wants me to become a bit more on the self-reliant side. And, I guess I can say that I have made improvements in the almost five years we've been married. Ok, I must confess that my improvements in this area have only been obtained in the past year or so. Because I'm a big chicken.
That's what happens when you have a 'worst-case-scenario' brain like I do. I talk myself out of a lot of things. Here are some examples:
No, I don't want to learn to shoot because I could accidentally shoot the wrong person; No, I don't want to skydive because I'd crap my pants and embarrass myself, then my parachute wouldn't open (which would make the crapping of my pants completely invisible); I really don't want to scuba dive because I'm afraid my breathing apparatus will fail and I'll drown; I don't need to go through the process of getting a license to carry my gun on me because if I actually carry my gun I will most likely get mugged and the robber will take it from me and use it on me; No, Hubby you don't need to make that eight-hour drive to a tactical class you've always wanted to take by yourself because you could fall asleep behind the wheel and crash...
My list could go on forever!
To aid in my educational process Hubby was recently turned on to a movie that we hadn't seen, with one of my most favorite male actors, Liam Neeson. It's called Taken, and Mr. Neeson plays a government agent who knows all about tracking and hunting bad guys. In the movie his daughter gets kidnapped in Paris while vacationing with her idiot friend, and of course the plot is all about his efforts to track down the kidnappers and rescue his daughter.
This movie is amazing. I loved it. But, my point is that Hubby wanted me and The Little Guy to watch it with him to hopefully learn some tips on paying attention to details if we are ever put in that type of scenario. I recommend you watch it, and if your child is close to teen years or older then let them watch it, too. (There isn't any nudity in it, but there is the topic of prostitution, but the subject matter is very delicately and respectfully filmed. I was quite impressed to say the least.)
Practice paying attention to details when you are out and about. Does anyone look suspicious? If so, what is notable about them... tattoos, teeth, eyes, hair, shoes, car.... What is around you that could help you defend yourself... a fire extinguisher you could bash over someone's head, a cart you could ram into someone... know what tools you have around you that could help you. And, always, always remember when you are being approached by strangers that you have NO IDEA what their M.O. is... are they just being friendly, are they seeing if they could mug you (which just happened to a personal friend of mine at a local McDonald's a couple of weeks ago), are they checking out your kids or your car... Be cautious and don't make apologies for it.
Kidnapping statistics are staggering. Phoenix, Arizona is second in the world for kidnappings, with the first being Mexico City. Bet you didn't know that about our nation, right? Probably thought it was Miami or New York City, or maybe not even in the U.S.? Read Hubby's post today to find out more about what you can do to protect yourself.
And, be safe, my friends. And, don't be a big chicken. I'm working on that as we speak...
