A quick note to tell you about an interview I did with August McLaughlin for her blog Savor the Storm. During the interview, she mentioned the book “The Gift of Fear” and I have decided I will buy it and give a review here in the near future. Some of the readers who responded to August’s post of our interview say it reminds them of the book. So, I will be sure to give it a read. In the meantime, here are my long-winded ramblings to a very patient, very gracious interviewer…
4 responses to “She Asked, I Agreed, We Talked. A Blog Post Was Born.”
-
I read your story on August’s blog yesterday and was simply blown away. I wanted to swing by your own digs to be sure you were aware of how much your story touched me…because not only is it one of my greatest fears…it could happen to any of us, at any time.
First, I’d like to say how simply blown away I am by your courage and guts. I can only imagine how difficult and gut wrenching it must be to share your story over and over again but yet you do…and from that, I know in my heart of heart’s you will save lives! The way you shared your story on August’s blog…powerful, poignant and personal. I felt like you were sitting right in front of me…it made me feel how horrific the experience was and how its impacted you…It was so intimate. Touching. I was felt honored that you shared it with all of us in such a real way….
You may have seen my comment on August’s site but I wanted share some of it here as well just in case. As a woman, and being logical, I know I am at a disadvantage when it comes to being raped and assaulted by a man. I’ve taken years of street boxing, self defence and kickboxing classes in large part to know that if ever I was put in that position, at least I’d know I did what I could to prepare myself to defend myself.
Over the years, I have encouraged all of my friends to take classes and to put their daughters in classes. No, it’s not a guarantee and it’s sad that as women that this is now something that’s a “need to know” but I think it is. I think we do our girls a terrible disservice when we don’t teach them at least basic self defence…
Your fight. Your determination. I could feel it in your sharing with August. I’ve always thought that in that situation I’d have the same level of grit. That I’d fight to the death if need be. To read about another women who did whatever it took….it’s inspiring….it shows me that the will to always fight does pay off!
Sadly, I know many women who are so lax in their own safety (at home and abroad) and it’s by sheer luck that they haven’t ended up in similar situations….They think it’ll never happen to them. But your story speaks to how easily it CAN happen to anyone….and how important it is to always trust our gut and stay vigilant! I am going to share the post with ALL my girlfriends’ as a reminder….
Thank you again…so much for being so brave to share with us. Your tips for travelling abroad are things I will definitely take to heart (I had no idea about the smart traveler program etc)!
Best wishes for your continued growth and healing…HUGS!-
Thank you, Natalie. I really appreciate the time you have taken to respond and the heartfelt nature of your words. As I tell most people, self-defense taught me how to think in the many years after I took that college course. It’s not that I remembered every move, but there were certian theories such as how you should fight hard while you still have an exit available to you, how you should forget about screaming and instead try to break a window because shattering glass gets people’s attention, how to protect your fingers when you punch, etc, that are takeaways that never leave you. On the flip side, I hesitate to emphasize self-defense too much because every circumstance is different. And many rapes or rape attempts are by people well-known to victims and not the kind of fistfight or attacker jumping out of a bush scenario that self-defense class conjures.
I don’t ever want to push the message to women that they must be perfect or that if they don’t walk around hyper aware and hyper vigilant that they in some way share blame or responsibility. I could have been wasted, alone, and making out with my attacker, and I still – STILL – get to say no and expect that my wishes be respected. Rapists are broken people with broken brains, end of story.-
So well said and so true!!!!
-
-
-
We all found you to be incredibly eloquent, and your message and story, powerful. Thanks so much, again. I hope you enjoy de Becker’s book!
Hello,
I’m Keri
I’ve been at the forefront of advocating for Americans sexually assaulted or abused overseas. I fight to bring attention to the lack of funding and services for these underserved victims while raising awareness about the complexities of the issue. I am President of Pathways to Safety International and continue to raise crucial funds to serve Americans harmed in dozens of countries every year.
A Fight Back Woman 
Leave a comment