Safety First

I have been a people watcher my entire life.  I could sit and watch people all day.  I want to know what they are doing, why they are doing it, and what they were thinking when they did it.

My husband often reprimands me for watching true crimes depicted on television.  He says, "Why do you want to watch stuff like that?"  I watch because I am interested in people.  I want to know about the victim and the criminal.  As much as we would like to hate the perpetrator, he or she was still some one's child and a soul that Christ died to redeem. 

As I watch, I often hear one of the loved ones say "She was completely innocent" and I think well, not completely.  It is not uncommon to see that the victim did not use wisdom in making a decision that led up to the attack.  NOT ALWAYS, I know, but it does happen.  Yesterday I watched a show where a college coed was killed by a stranger.  She was coming home from work at 1:30 a.m. and called her boyfriend who asked her to stop and buy him some chocolate milk.  She stopped at a well lit store in a safe neighborhood.  The problem was that a man had been lurking around the store for over an hour.  He approached her inside the store and asked for a ride, which she refused.  He went outside and when she exited the store forced her into her car. 

Now I know she did nothing wrong.  Please let me make that clear.  However, after he had followed her around the store and asked for a ride several times, it would have been wiser for her to remain in the store until he left the premises.  The clerk could have called a police escort for her.  She could have called her boyfriend from her cell phone and talked to him on the way to her car.  This often deters perpetrators.  There is a new device about the size of cell phone and service offered by ADT.  With the push of one button, an operator will stay with you while you walk to your car and report to the police if needed. 

The key to safety is being proactive.  Be aware of your surroundings.  Don't assume everyone is trustworthy.  If you get the heeby jeebies when he looks at you, take precautions.  Because he looked at me?  No, because your instinct warned you.  Listen to it.  If you get a gut feeling that something is wrong, then take some action.  Maybe it is nothing, but what if it isn't.  Will you have time to take action later?  Be safe--not sorry.