Complacency - 1/4
It was a holiday weekend; I was off my routine.
Typically, I "suit up" when the bra goes on and "dress down" when the bra goes off for the day. But this weekend lent itself to mud runs and pool play dates and generally non routine things for me. There were drinks and BBQs and a general enjoyment of being “off duty” for a day or two if I’m being honest.
I spent the majority of the weekend with close friends and family on private property. My heart was full, and my spaces were “safe” and it brought my guard down to a level that led to complacency.
On the last night I was running one quick errand to the grocery store to pick up snacks and water. I had no less than 3x the round count and 3 firearms at my disposal, one of which was my loaded EDC in my car safe. I had a WOFT flashlight in my center console.
And still, being lazy and belt-less, told myself “I’m sure I’ll be fine" for the 5 min. errand and 3 min. of traversing transitional spaces and put nothing on.
While the situation was scary, once the dust settled a couple hours later, I was left upset and disappointed about how naive and complacent I had been in making sure I was prepared to be my own first responder. I lack a general distrust in people, but this shook my trust in myself to make safe decisions.
I pride myself in watching my six and covering yours. We may have even fought about which one of us gets the shitty seat with their back towards the door when we’ve been out. I am generally “on” at all time. Last night, I was not.
I was lucky.