Stay Safe!  

Like an “Outdoor Cat!”

Are you safe?  At your job or in your home?  Pam Collins, a realtor with Edina Realty, recently gave tips to keep you safe in many situations at a Cannon Falls Area TRIAD meeting.

Realtors, for example, meet alone with strangers looking for properties which have been publicly located on the internet, newspapers, etc.   

A cat… really?

Collins suggested you think of yourself as a cat.  But not a cuddly, comfy indoor cat!  You are a vigilant, constantly aware, always on alert, feisty outdoor cat!

Keeping safe!

Here are some suggestions that realtors may consider… and good advice for others too!

• Lock your valuables in the trunk of your car BEFORE you leave home.
• Neighbors are a good source of protection if they know what to look for so you could check with them.
• Don’t park your car in a driveway as it can get blocked in.  
• Observe surroundings before getting out of the car. Is it unusually quiet or is there much activity in the area?  Anyone loitering?  Are there spots someone could hide in?
• After opening up the house, lock the door behind you while you set up your informational display.
• Arrange access to safety devices like pepper spray.  Remember: violence is violent.  Rehearse in your head:  “I will live… I will go home to my babies… my family.”  
• Take out your cell phone.  Review 911 access.  A family member’s number for quick access and a code word to use if you want help sent.  This shouldn’t be anything dramatic.  Just asking them to email a red file, for example.  But they’ll know you need the police.
• Hide your purse.  Plan escape routes.  Never get pinned in a room where they can block the door.  Never follow them to the basement… stay on the stairs.
• Or if you just want to leave the house and get to your car, explain that you left important information in the car or “Another agent with buyers is on the way.”
• Mentally rehearse your plans… see yourself fighting so you can go on “automatic pilot” in a bad situation.
• Later on you can report suspicious activity/people (even if you’re not attacked) to your local office, other realtors, and if appropriate, law enforcement.  
• Or take a self defense class.
• Keep your house and car keys on separate rings when you hand them over for something like car repairs.  Don’t hide them outside the house in the usual places near a door.
• After the open house ends, check the home for windows or doors that have been unlocked with the possible idea of a return visit from a criminal who was touring.

Also keep in mind…

There are other threats to complicate the situation.  Like angry pets left in the house, squirrels trapped inside and … ghosts!  (But that’s for another column!) 
          For now remember: Be an outdoor cat!  
           Prepare… then    Run... Hide... or Fight! 

Memory from the past...

A picture from the past

   means something else today... 

 A man died… way too young.  At his funeral in a distant town, many pictures were displayed representing his life.

I didn’t know him.  

I wasn’t there.

So why do I care?

Pictures from the past...

A friend of mine was at the funeral and when he looked at the wall of photos displayed of the man’s life he noticed one that turned out to be important to me.

You see, I was in the background in the picture.

But it hadn’t been taken of me.

How did you know?

The scene was of my horse corral.

I had mowed the grass and shoveled the manure.

I had worked and trained the horses.

I had fed them every day and called the vet when needed.

Plus this…

In the picture's background I was walking with another horse and a small child was on it.

And the man - whose funeral was now being held - was standing smiling next to another child riding a horse.

It was several years ago.

And I said to my friend who had snapped a picture of the photo displayed… “I want a copy.”

Why?

I wanted a copy… not because I was in the picture.

But because it touched a part of my heart - just like in the movie, It’s a Wonderful Life.  This is a classic about a man who had given up his dreams but his guardian angel showed him all the people whose lives he had touched.

And although I’ve never sat and watched the whole film, I like the story.

And…

That day years ago, when parents and kids came to play at our farm, was a wonderful time for me too.

But now, so many years later, it means a lot to have that memory revived.

And I have the gift of knowing that it was good to have worked so hard to create the scene in the picture for others to enjoy. 

His smiling face…

I wish I could tell him “Thank You” for coming that day… and smiling.