pre·par·ed·ness

Noun A state of readiness, esp. for war.

Synonyms

readiness - preparation - willingness

This weekend I went to get certified for my concealed carry license.  It is a mandatory 10-hour course here in Texas.  Most of it is classroom but we were able to look forward to range time at the end of the day.  I am excited to say that I passed the course and am now one step closer to obtaining my CHL.   

I did not attend this course in hopes of being some sort of vigilante.  I simply want the opportunity to have a chance to protect myself and my family if it came down to it.  One of the first questions asked in the class was, “If it came down to it, could you take another person’s life?”  

Without hesitation I knew my answer.  If there were ever a feeling in the slightest the my loved ones or my own life were in danger, no thought about it I would find a way to protect it.  But is that really true?   

I have absolutely no idea.  And I pray that I never will have to find out.  I can only hope that if it did my inner “sheepdog”, as my husband would call it, will shine bright.  It is immensely important to mentally prepare for such a situation.  It takes way more than just range time.  

I randomly find myself taking a quiet, normal moment in my life and throwing in a very unwelcome wrench.  What would I do if somebody walked in right now and tried to rob me or worse?  And just as the good driver always has an escape plan on the highway, I have one everywhere I go.  In the grocery store, at the movies and while getting my nails done.  The best way to look at it is to think of it this way.  It is better to have a plan and not use it, than to not have one and need it.  This is precisely how I choose to protect me and my family.           

I know that bad things happen.  I realize we have no control over who they happen to.   That is left up to a greater power than you and I.  Some people criticize that “focusing” on the negative in life is unnecessary and they feel sad for you.  It almost feels like they are disgusted that you would think in that manner.  Even though I do believe that there are people that obsess over it and it can easily become an unhealthy way of living, I also know that there can be a healthy balance between sheltering and preparing my child for the real world.  

I want to pass on something my instructor mentioned.  Please be aware of the distractions of technology.  Open your eyes.  Look up.  Look around.  When you are leaving the mall or pumping your gas, know your surroundings.  You don’t have to let fear consume your life in the slightest.   You just have to know that bad exists out there and your chance of surviving is greater if you can see it coming. 

If you want an interesting read to explain the whole "sheepdog" reference above, click here.