Rainy Daze & Muggers

Have you ever thought about what you would do if you were mugged? Have you been? I have not. i feel like it would be a different kind of experience than I imagine it to be. In some ways, more surreal, and in some ways, even scarier. Sean and I were talking about how many people we know who were mugged and under what circumstances. I know a family of 2 parents and 3 small kids who were mugged in broad daylight. How they tell the story, the guy was shifty and desperate, not wanting their kids to see what was going on. I think he might have had a gun or a gun-shaped thing hidden behind clothing and he was careful to situate his body so it was out of sight. And they tried to reason with the man who apparently needed a certain amount to make rent. But he was more desperate and scary so they gave him what they had.

What do i think of this? I think it's sad, and totally frightening. I have some compassion for these people but I also am fiercely anti-threats, bullying, and generally, people who make me feel unsafe. I have a big problem with it and want to start a coalition to stop it dead. And I'm so anti that I will speak to them and say "knock it off" in so many words. I have to refrain myself when I feel it is not worth the effort but when I feel threatened, particularly close to my home, I will defend myself. We are still deciding if this is a good or bad things. But I am what i am.

So what would I do? I have a feeling something in me would try to call a bluff, that these are people who are scared too and maybe wouldn't really do anything. I know that sounds stupid but the time I stood up to a group of harrassing people, I think i saw (from them) that something like this had never happened to them before and it kind of threw them. And I was terrified, but I did it anyway. So I'll say it again: I think something in me would want to do this. But I also think I can keep a calm head in a crazy situation and hopefully i would be able to discern danger vs. safety and would probably give them my purse. But I would probably keep a few items because some things are just hard to replace, let's be honest.

I feel like if i tell a story like this, people wonder how on earth i could live in such a place as this? I don't really have an answer because whatever i say doesn't really matter. And i'm not defending people who mug others but I will say that people who live here may have to be a little bit more tough, but also, lots and lots of people live here. And they survive, and they succeed, and love it. And that's how i feel about it. Living here makes me feel alive, and that includes the good and bad, for without one, i can't really have the other, can i? And some things may seem very very bad, but I see and experience things so good and so amazing, the thought of leaving makes me want to weep a little. And i'm always a fan of learning about people and the way they are. I love to observe and evaluate and witness things that make me think about humanity and life. And that's what I'll say on this downpour of a Friday.