... and it was embarrassing. I grew complacent.
I've become somewhat comfortable to just have a gun in the car and not on my person when I take Misty to the park for a walk.
Today, when I parked, my wife kept texting me about stuff we need to do today. You have no idea how much I hate sitting in a car, in a parking lot and texting. Every adult who does that looks stupid and has no situational awareness because we are all focused on the screen. But I had to reply... it's the wife, you know.
5 seconds later a young kid in his mom's van pulled up alongside next to me, to my right, stopped at a 45-degree angle where I had to turn my head to see him through his driver side window. It wasn't even a parking spot there; it was the driveway. I see him looking at me and holding cash. He gets out and walks around my car, really close so I again have to turn my head.
My window is always cracked open, and I'm always unbuckled in a parking lot. The pistol was out of reach and Misty was still buckled up. I had a knife in my pocket, my mind was clear and set on getting out and fight. It was really the last option.
He approached and said, I quote "Oh, it's not you!", turns around, gets in his vehicle and drives further down the parking lot.
Many lessons I've learned in these 15 seconds... never have a gun out of reach, ever! Unbuckle Misty right after I've unbuckled myself. Never grow too comfortable again! Tunnel vision is a terrible thing.
He might have just bought something off the internet and wanted to meet in person. Perhaps he was meeting his drug supplier. Who knows?! But what if not?! Could have been a robbery, carjacking, kidnapping, etc.
My mind was racing and I was ready to fight, but I hate that it happened to me. So don't be like me, be better!
