Yesterday I put up a post about how to determine if a mirror is a mirror or a two way mirror. I posted it because I wanted women to be aware there are bad people out there and some women just aren't aware of their surroundings.
Two years ago my husband and I took a class about gun safety. When I was younger I belonged to a trap shooting team. I loaded my own shells and cleaned my own 12 gauge shotgun. In those days, there were no classes, we depended on the guys that ran the range or the ones who taught us how to shoot a gun and never thought about our surroundings or the places we shopped or visited. I thought being able to shoot a gun made me invincible.
Now days, the right to own a gun comes with a lot of responsibility including MENTAL PREPAREDNESS. Well, every time you walk out the door, you need to be mentally prepared and be aware of your surroundings. There are 4 mental states that people are in, WHITE - relaxed, unaware (you are likely to become a victim). YELLOW - relaxed but aware (you are suspicious and are in a heightened state of awareness). ORANGE - potential threat in the area you are in (time to withdraw from the situation you are in, a place where you aren't sure of the mirror, if you aren't sure, LEAVE). RED - this is your last resort, there's trouble and now you probably need to run or fight.
I get a lot of emails like the one I posted yesterday and I pass them on to my friends and people I care about. I received some emails saying that a certain internet site says the mirror test isn't totally accurate. I took the post down but not because some internet sight said it isn't real, but because the people I care about read it and are now aware. I will probably get more emails about how old people are being used to get women to help them in parking lots and then they are abducted, or how someone puts a baby carriage on the side of the road and women stop to check it out and they get attacked, abducted or killed or you should never park next to a van in a parking lot or stop to smell perfume that someone is selling in a parking lot and don't forget to look in the back seat of your car before you get in. I plan to pass those emails on forever. If it means I made someone aware of their surroundings then my email worked.
Since I took that gun awareness class I have heightened my mental state about my surroundings. At night I lock the door between the house and the garage, I'm careful where I park at malls and grocery stores and I watch people a lot. My friends joke about how much I notice but I think they also appreciate it.
I have a friend who doesn't do email. Last week she went to the grocery store and an older lady asked her if she would get into her car and watch her dog while she went to the UPS store. It was 110 here and the woman said she should sit in the air conditioned car with the dog. She was very lucky. The woman was real and gave her $10 for watching the dog. Every time I get an email like the one about the mirrors I have to tell her about it. She's sweet and kind and in the WHITE zone all the time. It's the sweet and kind and trusting people who are always the victims.
If someone sends me an email to remind me to be aware of my surroundings and I pass it on, I'm not going to worry if an internet site has checked it out or not. It put me in the "Mentally Aware of My Surroudings Zone".
Don't be a victim, make sure you are always in your YELLOW MENTAL PREPAREDNESS ZONE, BE RELAXED BUT AWARE, and tell your friends.
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2 comments:
Hmm, I tried to post a comment, but it didn't show up. Early this summer our house was cased for a probable burglary. Fortunately, our son was visiting (a big former Marine) and made it clear to the "trespassers" that someone was indeed here during the day. This experience made my hubby and me think more seriously about home and personal safety. I am home alone a lot, as hubby works a rotating shift, and we live in the middle of nowhere, so I can't count on police being nearby. We no longer have children or grandchildren at home, so, we started researching ways to make ourselves and our home more secure which led to us taking a handgun safety class and getting a couple of pistols. We just completed a full weekend Home and Personal Protection class, with our handguns. There was a lot of information on protecting yourself and your property/possessions and being aware of your surroundings. We both passed and have applied for concealed carry permits. We travel a lot in an RV and we are getting older by the minute and unfortunately, our world seems to be more dangerous everyday. I'm happy to say I'm no longer a "sheeple", I'm now a "Sheepdog" aware and alert to my surroundings and those predators "out there". This was a very timely blog post, thanks with smiles. Sue C
Bonnie, your blog post yesterday was so important. Your blog today tells us about the four mental states of preparedness. Too many people have no idea about these states. My father was a police officer, so I was brought up in the Yellow state, even though he didn't call it that. Sometimes people tell me I'm being silly, but so far I haven't been a victim.
I absolutely agree that there is something to be learned from many of these emails that are passed around, even if the story they tell is fake. I liken it to a fable. You should be careful in parking lots and not dawdle in your car doing things that take your attention away from your surroundings. You shouldn't answer you door without knowing who is there. And on and on. Thanks for reminding us.
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