Krav Class and Women Warriors

As humbling and heart-warming as all of the support from the men has been (I have some very, VERY badass brothers out there), the support from my fellow female warriors is what really keeps me going. You dudes have no idea how snarky and vicious women can be with other women, especially if they sense weakness. You know the phrase "pecking party"? Where it originates? If a chicken in a pen is wounded or weak, the other chickens will peck it to death. It's ugly, and so appropriate for some females.

But the last few days has shown me how strong Patriot women are. You III dudes, y'all are tough, don't get me wrong. But never underestimate the power of a good woman. MissK, doubletrouble2, MissV, Maura,  Holly and so many more (I know your names, I'm just lousy at remembering) have proven that strong women lift up women. We are Sisters in Arms. And God bless you all.

Krav class was good, going over things we learned last week, starting new experiences fending off knife attacks. The bad was attrition. About 10 people, mostly women, dropped out. After two classes. My two ladies that I've been hanging with both made it back. Not patting myself on the back, but a support system works. Reaching out and making sure the women in your world know they are strong enough and worthy enough to fight back is imperative. Shirley, the oldest of the two at 57, came back with the Eye of the Tiger. Last weekend, her son, DIL, and two granddaughters were in Dallas for a little vacation. Her DIL ran down to the car, at night, in a hotel parking lot in a city, BY HERSELF, to get something. Situational Awareness: FAIL. Short story, she was mugged, cut on her scalp where she was whacked with a pipe, and multiple bumps and bruises. She was lucky, damned lucky.

When questioned why she did it, her responses were: it was a well-lit parking lot in an upper-scale hotel with security cameras. Um yeah. So the frameable 8x10 black and white glossies of your attack come out clearer. Great. Asked why she didn't flee, scream, fight back, anything, she said it happened so fast, she didn't have time to think or react. Shirley told me that she was shocked when her DIL declined her offer to take self-defense classes or get a handgun. "I couldn't do anything that would hurt another person, it would kill me." So dead if you do, dead if you don't. Seriously? You value your life less than that of a scumbag that has no value for yours? Don't give me that bullshit about lowering yourself to their level; if you aren't prepared to fight for your life, they'll lower you. ALL THE WAY DOWN. You mean NOTHING to your attackers. They don't care about  the people who would mourn you; do you care enough about them to fight for your life? Shirley decided with her son, and with the grudging acceptance of DIL, to pay for self-defense classes for her granddaughters, 10 and 12. And her offer to her DIL still stands. Shirley is one of my Woman Warrior heroes. Might have to make her an honorary WarriorAngel.

So my prayer to all women who are reading this: Love yourselves, value yourselves, enough to fight for your right to Life, Liberty and Happiness. Don't think for a minute that being able to protect yourself makes you any less of a woman, any less feminine. Don't think for a minute that you have to wait for Prince Charming to come save your happy ass. Sometime, perhaps in the coming future, Prince Charming is going to be fighting the enemy and the last thing he needs is to be worried about the woman he loves and his kids. It's your right and responsibility as a grown-ass woman to learn how to protect yourself and your brood.

Men, my guys, my dudes. Y'all rock in your respect for women (in spite of milfs and fripples and camel toes, oh my!) and your desire to protect them from the evils of the World. But you know as well as I do that you can't be there 24/7. At some point in your lives, the women you love may be faced with a danger you can't fight for her. Love her enough to support and encourage her to learn self-defense. In whatever way you can. Take her to the range, teach her how to handle your weapons (all of them, stop giggling), encourage her to take whatever classes are available. Talk to her about situational awareness. It's best to not ever BE in a bad situation (i.e. a hotel parking lot, alone, at night, sheesh).

So enough babbling, with the 2-hour workout and the week I've had, I'm celebrating tonight with a medium rare steak and an Old Fashioned. Because I'm worth it.