Plan- a focused and concerted effort of direction that has been previously thought out and determined in order to bring about a desired result.
We make plans for the hour, for the day and for all manner of events in our lives.
Spur of the moment can sometimes be fun, but usually we prefer to plan something such as vacations, weddings, lunches, sporting events or job-related efforts in the hope that problems will be minimized and a successful event can be enjoyed.
As we head out the door, we usually plan how we will arrive at our destinations.
Enough Gas? Wallets? Directions?
As we plan our day we determine what to wear, what to eat, who to see and when to arrive or leave.
A million plans are made daily that encompass small tasks and large endeavors.
But do you make a plan for safety every where you go?
When you pull up to the local grocery store, do you have a plan as to how to successfully get from your car to the store safely? Once inside, do you know where the exits are and what to do if trouble should erupt?
What would you do if you were standing at the checkout, your less-than-10 items on the conveyor belt, thumbing through a magazine and two hooded and masked men came bursting into the front of the store with guns and threats? Would you freeze and wait for their orders?
It is guaranteed that their directives will not be something you want to comply with.
The point is; you may not be looking for trouble, you may not be hanging out at places that usually invite trouble, but sometimes trouble will find you.
We usually operate on the assumption that when we are in a store, a mall, any public place or even the sanctuary of our homes, that we are safe. We relax. We enjoy. We stroll and gaze and laugh and dream. And we need that. We are humans in need of relaxation, down time and periods of unfettered enjoyment.
The problem is.......
Scumbags don't care what you want; only what they want.
And the combination of violence and fear and intimidation and surprise is their method. They may also employ torture or death as a means to their ends.
How can you be sure that the perpetrators who invade a movie theater or public place of any kind are only interested in obtaining goods and not in personal mayhem?
You never can.
So everywhere you go, no matter how comfortable, familiar, relaxed, non-threatening, fun and happy, make a plan.
When you walk into that restaurant to celebrate with your family that grand occasion, have a plan in mind as to what to do if the unthinkable happens: the invasion of your space by those intent on harm and mayhem.
Where are the exits? Is the table nailed down to the floor? Could you use it as a barrier? What weapons on the table are handy?
Did you study the faces and appearances of the patrons there?
Make a plan and have a plan wherever you go and start training your family to be sensitive to worst case scenarios.
It is not paranoid to do so. It is wise.
You made a plan for that trip. Make a plan for everywhere you go.
B.J. Bruno
