Years ago (in 1999), when I first joined MrsS, we had a forum called Extreme Realities, where we discussed self defense with all sorts of weapons (remember the reverse Z?). Some of you might remember Armorer leading that forum...

well, he taught me a lot, and inspired my husband and I to buy compound bows, which we learned how to use, and although they are not ideal weapons for self-defense, they are certainly better than nothing, and are definitely useful for hunting should the s**t hit the fan and food become scarce.

Being (at the time) a city dweller, I was a bit nervous, especially since the crime rate was rising as our population swelled over a million people. Although we lived in a good area of town, it was becoming more and more common for gunshots to be heard close to come, and violent crimes happened within blocks of where our young children played.

One night, I awoke to a noise in the house. I listened in the dark, just to be sure. I often heard noises, and often woke my husband, only to have him climb back into bed, annoyed that there had been no reason to be rousted from sleep at 3:00 a.m.

That night, though, the noise was real. My husband got out of bed and grabbed his samurai sword. I joined him, compound bow in hand, an arrow nocked and ready.

We crept downstairs, knowing every spot on the floor that creaked, careful not to alert whoever was in the house. As we approached the lower level, the sounds grew louder. There was definitely someone there, rummaging through boxes.

We came to the last set of stairs (we had a four-level split), and my husband went down, then stood outside the door, his sword ready. I stood at the top of the stairs, my bow ready, prepared to put an arrow through the throat of whoever had invaded our home.

Then, in a moment I will never forget, our interloper came through the family room door. And I will forever be thankful for the training that Armorer gave us... that we learned that our minds are our primary weapons. That we need to think first, before we act. And thank goodness we did.

There was our six year old daughter... sleep walking.

I learned a lot that night. I learned that I could master my fear. I learned that I could think my way through a scary situation. I learned that I was not a victim.

It was one of many things I have learned at MrsSurvival.

I will be forever grateful for it.