For some reason this thought has been bouncing around in my head for a few days. Probably because I broke a routine and found myself out and about, unarmed. For me, that was highly unusual and started me thinking about good routines and those that can be hazardous to your health.
While I was working for the military, we had our annual force protection/anti-terrorism training that warned us against some types of predictable physical routines. If the bad guys know you'll be at the corner of Hollywood and Vine every weekday between 7:00 and 7:15 a.m., you could become a target of opportunity for kidnapping, assassination, etc.. We were encouraged to vary our routes to and from work and in our personal lives. That level of breaking routines is a good thing.
My husband has a daily routine that includes coffee, walking the dog, practicing his music and exercising. I'm a bit more random about when I do things, other than morning coffee. The day I failed to arm myself when I dressed was a fluke. We decided to bathe the dog that morning, so I didn't wear a weapon to the shower stall. Kept forgetting after that. Not the best way to break routine. Twice I found myself crossing the country road on foot, well away from the house, alone and unarmed. Fortunately, all was well -- this time. In an emergency situation, this may have been an unrecoverable mistake.
I'm a locker and turner. I lock the doors to the house as a matter of routine. To me, it's part of the action of closing an exterior door. I also turn lights off as I leave a room or walk through the house. My husband doesn't have those automatic behaviors. As a result, I am occasionally startled to find an unlocked exterior door in a room with a blazing light.
So are you aware of your routines during the day or week? Are some good for your life, health and safety? Could others be hazardous in an emergency? What are your contingency plans for varying these routines during non-routine times? Now is the time to ponder these and prepare your thinking in case of emergency!
I am a creature of habit. I miss something I get all messed up. At dinner I lost my fork!
ReplyDeleteYeah; some habits are good, and some bad. I'm the OPSEC Nazi in my house. I enter the house, and I lock the door behind me. My wife doesn't. In a figurative "middle finger" to the power company, I kill the lights as I leave a room. No one else in the house does. Why? They don't pay the bill! It's hard to stay prepared when prepping; harder still to get the rest of the family to commit!
ReplyDeletePete, my Dad was career military. He was a man of high integrity. He believed that we (three) children needed to appreciate that the power bill was paid by people's taxes. When we left a light on, he fined us, My allowance was 25 cents and the fine was 5 cents. That was one less candy bar or pack of gum from the PX for a little kid, so was meaningful. Guess that's how we started learning about energy conservation!
DeleteI thought that your "turning" might be to check your back-trail, something that I do even in my semi-small town.
ReplyDeleteGreat point, Gorges! Turning, both on foot and when driving is a great OPSEC and personal security practice/routine. I find myself doing that in 'the big city' of 6,500 people where we go to shop a couple times a month. Especially if I am shopping alone, if I see someone too often and too close at the Wallyworld (or appearing at several shops in sequence), I'll pay special attention to ensure they aren't checking out 'with me.' Would hate to need my sidearm in the parking lot. This state recognizes the tactical advantage of a younger male over an older, smaller woman when determining whether deadly force is justified in self-defense.
DeleteGuess I learned some of the 'turning' behaviors as an adult female when I lived in bigger towns or had to walk home in the dark during college. I think it may be more natural for women as well. When driving home I pay attention to the rear view mirror, occasionally driving past my turn-off and making several rights or lefts in a circle to see if the car behind me is following. For now, I know the most direct public route to the nearest police station.