I Trust My Instincts.

I have this spot I like to fish.  It's where I caught that walleye and that keeper bass.  It's kind of out of the way.  Secluded.  The closest homes are across the river.  No one comes down there unless they are specifically there for fishing or putting their boats in to fish elsewhere.

Or to make trouble.

Hubs and I were there the other day when we heard what I thought was someone stuck trying to put their boat in.  Turns out it was someone trying to get their truck back where they really shouldn't be parking.  The hooting and the hollering was enough to encourage us to find another spot to fish. 

They were still there the next time I went.  They had managed to get their truck backed in under the trees where it wasn't very visible - unless you already knew where they went in.  They were still hooting and hollering like a bunch of drunks and it was early in the morning.  But there were cars in the parking area, and I was far enough away to not be really worried.  One by one, the other cars left as their owners brought their boats in for the morning.  And I was alone with the extras from Deliverance*.  I left.  I didn't think it was wise to be stick around near anyone that intent on hiding their vehicle.

Now, it's entirely possible that those people were fine.  They might not have bothered me.  Hell, they probably didn't even know I was there, so they weren't going to mess with me.  I didn't want to take that chance.  I'm a 46-yr old woman who can't run, out in a place where, if someone did hear me scream, people wouldn't reach me in time to stop whatever was making me scream. 

It's also entirely possible that, because of the books I write and the books I read and the shows I watch, that I am overly sensitive to such events.  :shrug:  Better overly sensitive than a statistic or a name on a flyer.  Know what I mean?

I clutch my purse tighter in some situations.  I cross the street to avoid potential problems.  I know basic self-defense.  I have a plan if I can't avoid nasty events.   And I know what items on or around my person can be used as weapons at all times. 

I trust my instincts.  They've kept me alive this long.  I've never been robbed, assaulted, raped, abducted, or murdered.  :knock wood:  Even living in Flint for a period of time.  Even driving the streets of Detroit for a period of time.  Stay alert.  Stay vigilant.  Keep your eyes and your ears open all the time.  It cuts the likelihood of bad things down considerably.  Yeah, bad stuff could still happen to me and you can't protect against everything, but I do my best. 

This is the world we live in.  I keep reading snippets of news here and there that crime is actually down.  Personally, I don't see it.  The news is filled with crimes happening to regular people on a daily basis.  Here in the back of beyond and in the nearby cities and across the nation/world.  Hell, last year, within a week of each other, two people were murdered in two of the little towns out here.  The local papers have reports every week of robberies and assaults, and the occasional rape.  Out here. 

Statistics can be manipulated.  So can the news, but I'll trust the things I see on the news before I trust the statistics that say crime is down.  And I'll keep trusting my instincts.

How's the crime where you live?  Do you have a plan?

*This is based on the look of their truck and the sounds they were making.  I never actually saw the people.