It was 2:30 am. I was in my bedroom, clad in just a nightgown and robe, entertaining three deputy sheriffs.
I joked that it was the most excitement I’d had in quite some time. They didn’t crack a smile.
You see, it was the second time I had called the sheriff because I just knew a perpetrator was in my home in the middle of the night (no one was there each time). I was totally scared s*itless!
Living alone, I didn’t know what else to do. My plan had always been:
After I ran through that scenario in my head, heart pounding in fear, I realized I would have no way to reenter the house ... because my keys were downstairs by the back door.
This was extremely poor planning!
That is why the three deputies were now in my bedroom. My shotgun was laying across the bed. One of the gentlemen was showing me how to load/unload the gun and cock it. He emphasized to me that I must learn how to use it in case of an emergency.
I replied, “But using it would make such a mess! I’d have to fix the walls and repaint.” They were not amused.
Instead, they gave me some excellent advice: deadbolt my bedroom, lock the house and other buildings, and make sure the home alarm was activated.
It’s been months since I started this journey of home security. Now I am happy to say, I have taken all the necessary precautions including learning how to fire the shotgun. I have a sore arm to prove it.
The hardest part is that I am highly uncomfortable around shotguns, handguns, or any firearms! The question was how much more scared was I of being helpless than I was in getting outside of my comfort zone.
I had to overcome several layers of fear. It took a lot of self-encouragement and all the strength I had to finally learn how to safely operate the shotgun, but I did it! Sometimes we really have to push ourselves to do the things we know we need to do.
For me, the possibility of having to call the sheriff a third time and "entertain" them in my bedroom was so uncomfortable that I was motivated enough to break out of my discomfort with firearms so I could protect myself!
What comfort zone have you broken out of lately?