‘There is Fear in the Air’ Series
The kids were little, I was distracted, and I always welcomed some easier way to have things convenient. Any time that I could lighten my load as I was about town, I would take advantage of it. We were at the park, the rose park, and my kids actually loved walking around. We went as often as we could. At that time, we were driving a 1966 Chrysler New Yorker. I loved that car. It had a 440 engine and I got it for only $400 from the first owner. It was in good shape. My kids loved it because it had enough power to get us where we needed to go. They got a kick out of it when Mama got frustrated while trying to get across 6 lanes and I ended up racing a man in a Porcha who finally gave up and turned off. I had no idea the race was on. Oh well. Great memories!
So, we were excited to be at the park but could not stay long. I decided to leave my nice, valuable to me, black leather purse in the car. I mentioned to the kids that I was doing that. I did remember to hide it. I noticed one of my children gave me a sidewise glance as I said that. We made a quick tour of the park and when I returned, I noticed the car door was unlocked and there was a half-eaten bag of chips on the front seat. Yes, my purse was gone.
I was paralyzed, of course. I had to take care of any credit cards. There was not much in my purse, but I thought of identity theft. I wish he would have known that I would not have left my purse in the car if I had money in it. I would never have imagined how violated I felt.
Violated
The most common definition of violation today is the failure to honor someone’s peace, rights and privacy. Webster’s Dictionary definition sums it up nicely:
- To injure, to hurt, to interrupt, to disturb (as in sleep)
- To transgress laws of the land, or good breeding, divine laws, vows or promises made
- Do violence to
- Ravish – seize and carry away by violence.
Ways of being violated
- Giving bribes over and over again to get something done. you will be taken advantage of at some time.
- Natural Disasters
- Assault, abuse
- Scams
- Internet or Credit Card fraud
- Theft
- HIPPA violations
- Vandalism
- Obtaining private information without consent
Tips on Protection from Being Violated
- The most vulnerable are the ones who lack protection or are unable to protect themselves.
- Do not be a victim
- Keep your eyes open
- Be aware of what and who are around you
- Pay attention to what you are doing
- Act confident and focused
- Protect all belongings
- Protect your family
- Protect your home, work, business
- Use internet protection
- Use secure passwords and secure check out systems
- Put ICE numbers on your phone for emergencies.
- Tell someone where you are going.
- Use 911 calls when needed
- Utilize a neighborhood watch system and a safehouse for your children
- Be aware of alcohol or drug involvement and potential crime
- Lock up your jewelry and prescription medications
- Keep outside security lights on and inside nighttime lights on
- Use personal non-lethal weapons
- Do not trust anyone
- Get to know your neighbors
- Make your home safe, trim bushes, do not hide keys
- Partner up if you feel threatened
- Take self-defense lessons, prepare your children for defending themselves
- Pay for a home defense system if you are able to
Stories
I would use a catchy phrase that my family only would know about if I needed to communicate to them that I or they were in trouble. I had a family that I knew would protect my children. I taught them to obey me right away when I gave them instructions.
We had a natural disaster strike our home in the form of a Tornado. That was a rare occurrence in our area. My children were very good at seeing what needed to be done and jumped in to do it without asking. But at this time, I did not want them to run around outside picking up blowing chairs and other equipment. They came back in right away and hid where I told them to hide. The funnel was not touching the ground completely and I was so glad they obeyed me. My neighbor told me later that they thought our house was going to be torn apart by the wind. We lost some roofing, but otherwise received a great washdown and cleaning of one side of the house.
*Note: This series ‘There’s Fear in the Air’ came as an inspiration for me in September 2019, before the COVID threat. I felt my family was being prepared.
