Staying Safe

 

Last week I shared with you my experience and I want to thank all of you for your kind words and encouragement.  I appreciate it so very much.  Since that time a lot has changed with me, but all for the good.  This experience could have caused me to retreat to the safety of my home and not want to leave it ever again, but I am not about to give that much power to another human being.  That a$$hole doesn’t get to choose how I live my life.  I choose.

 

The odds of this ever happening again are pretty slim, however I'm not naive enough to think it couldn't so I'm prepared.  Whenever I leave the house I am hyper-vigilant about my safety.  I already was, but I’ve upped my game considerably.  For one, my attitude and the way I carry myself has definitely changed.  I keep my head up, I look around and behind me all the time and I probably walk like a dude now, but I don’t really care.

 

I am weaponized.  As a city employee I know there are certain things I cannot carry on my person and there are some I can.  I simply asked a police officer for his recommendation on what I can discreetly carry without violating any rules or laws.  Based on those recommendations I chose items I knew I could handle, which is very important, because the last thing you ever want to do is give your opponent a weapon they can turn around and use on you.  Being discreet is also very important because you never want to advertise what you have on you and draw unnecessary attention to yourself.  With that in mind, if I ever have an encounter with law enforcement I know I need to be forthcoming and let that officer know what I have on me.

 

I carry my hydroflask with me whenever I am out in public.  It has a weighted bottom and I always have it full of water which I never drink.  Instead of carrying it like a water bottle I now grip it by the neck and carry it like a baton.  It is my first line of defense if I need one.

 

I wear a lanyard with my keys and my city ID.  Now I have a lanyard with pepper gel that I wear too whenever I leave the house or work.  I prefer a gel as it is sticks to your opponent better and is less apt to blow back on you if it is windy.  It still could get on me, but I have a better chance of it not.  That is my second line of defense.

 

My tactical belt that I always used for hiking is now what I use every day as my “purse”.  I removed the bear spray holster and replaced it with a much smaller discreet holster that holds a tazer.  You have to, have to, have to know how to properly use a tazer and it does require instruction.  This is my third line of defense and will incapacitate someone for up to five minutes allowing me to get away if my first two options fail.

 

I keep my cellphone in the front pocket of my tactical bag.  Once I’m away from the assailant I can then remove it and call 911 for help.  I keep my hands free at all times.  I do not get distracted or encumbered by using my cellphone in public.  I may occasionally glance at it to check the time, but that is pretty much it.  If I need to make a call or send a text I make sure first that I’m in a safe place to do so.  My safety is more important to me than that phone.

 

I am still me.  I still smile a lot at people and assume everyone is kind and nice, but if it turns out that they aren’t I’m prepared to whack them in the noggin with my hydroflask and get away.  In my mind I’m always thinking to myself “do not f**k with me”.  If they follow me and get too close to me I’m going to warn them, but if they keep it up I’m going to pepper spray them and if they dare to grab me I’m going to do whatever I need to do to get away.  End of story.  Once I’m away from danger I’ll call 911 and let the police deal with them.

 

Let me be clear.  I am not giving anyone advice on how to keep themselves safe.  That is a very personal decision and has to be based on what you feel you can do and handle.  I am not in a position to advise anyone on what to do to protect themselves.  This is what I am comfortable with and I pray every day I never have to use any of it.  Best case scenario is that I can simply be safe and just carry on with my life.  NO BAD DAYS!