Armed Lifestyle - Issue 2 - June 2022

to a lender, and he was going to get a VA loan, mentioning he
was a marine. Immediately Dawna’s gut tightened. She had
been around enough Marines to know ‘once a marine, always a
marine.’ Her intuition and the subtle signals made her extremely
nervous. She stopped midway on the stairs and thanked him for
his service while looking in his eyes. He got very shifty-eyed and
looked around avoiding eye contact. She knew something was
wrong or off.
Once upstairs, Dawna’s first thought was “I need to make
space.” She didn’t think her life was in danger just yet. Dawna
walked quickly into the master bedroom and got on the other
side of the bed. She started to talk about the size of the bedroom,
and he walked up to the other side of the bed, lifted his shirt up
and a 12-inch was knife sticking out. He also showed her that he
had a can of bear spray. He told Dawna to take off her rings and
get in the closet.
Immediately she got the rush of fear and tunnel vision. All she
could see was the man’s stomach and the knife extending from
his pants. Everything started slowing down like she was in slow
motion. He reached for his bear spray, and she thought of what
he just told her, but “take off” were the words that triggered her.
Dawna was wearing an ankle holster and she quickly kneeled.
Dawna reached out instinctively and pulled up her pant leg, got
a good grip of her firearm, and pulled it out. He immediately
doused her with bear spray and at the same time she slapped
the trigger, he jumped out of the line of fire and ran down the stairs.
She planned for this moment but had not planned on what
to do after. She followed him down the stairs only seeing his
outline due to the bear spray that was in her eyes. He ran out the
front door. She had her cellphone in her pocket and called 9-1-1.
The officers arrived shortly after and entered the home. They too
were gagging from the bear spray. Dawna’s skin felt like it was on
fire, but she found strength that day that she never knew she had.
Dawna’s lifesavers were muscle memory, mindset, and
intuition. It was not the firearm that saved her life, it was the
muscle memory from training. It was like a light switch flipped on
and everything she learned came together. In fact, two months
prior to the open house, Dawna’s instructor knew in the summer
months she usually carried her firearm in an ankle holster. So,
they dedicated time to practice drawing from the ankle. All the
training she had leading up to the situation and reacting to the
situation was key and is the perfect example of self-defense.
DON’T IGNORE THAT GUT FEELING!
Most people think women have better intuition than men. We
rely on our intuition. You may think of it as that gut feeling, or
something is just not right. Listen to that feeling because it is a
gift and fear can signal us for that fight or flight response. You
can really home in on your own intuition and develop that gift.
Intuition can be used in our daily lives. If your child comes home
and they say something that just doesn’t sit right, you know it
is your gut instinct. That didn’t feel right, what’s going on with
them? We might need to sit down and talk.
Do you feel your intuition in your gut? Is it hair-raising? Do you
feel your chest tighten? Everyone experiences it differently, but
it is not something to ignore. What if you are wrong about your
gut feeling? Well then you were wrong, but you are safe. There
were a few moments when Dawna went against her intuition.
The body does not lie, it will tell you if something is not right.
If we listen to these signals, you can change the atmosphere
around you.
Dawna’s predator was captured that day and is currently
serving time for the offense. A positive ending. We have seen
far too many of these types of stories go the other way without
a good ending.
Because of the inherent risks that come with being in real
estate, I have created a program for people in this industry. I
believe, like Dawna, that safety and awareness should be second
nature. But it does not just happen overnight, by reading an
article, or hoping for the best. With proper training, you will start
to see your intuition as a signal. Don’t confuse the feeling with
being paranoid or anxious. We live in a society of fear. Intuition
can and will save your life.
In the course we cover mindset, the color codes of awareness,
situational awareness, body language, conflict avoidance, fight
or flight, safety tips, and self-defense options. There are many
knowledgeable instructors with similar programs out there. My
hope is that you train and continue to train to defend yourself
and your life.
The only defense against the world is a comprehensive
knowledge of it. Stay safe and stay fearless. - Amy
A Realtor’s Worst Nightmare
www.thearmedlifestyle.com