Keeping Your Distance

A smart fellow once told me, “A wise man learns from his mistakes, but a wiser man learns from the mistakes of another.”  That made an impact which I’ve never forgotten. 

So I’ve got a story from my best friend, my wife, in her own words to share with you.

 

Every knife has a story.

Dexter bread knife - soft rubber handle and eight inches of teeth

I was on my way to my favorite restaurant/janitorial supply store.  No, I don’t run a restaurant nor am I a janitor.  This store has some neat stuff and they sell to the public.  I’m at a red light right behind a semi.  He must have realized he didn’t have enough clearance to make the right turn, so HE STARTED BACKING UP. 

Into me! 

I’m driving a little (comparatively) VW Jetta.  Did he know I was there behind his 53 feet?  In that split second that comes with years of experience, I checked my mirrors and threw it into reverse.  All while blowing the horn (which I’m sure he couldn’t hear).  I was lucky.  There was no one behind me and I was able to evade his oncoming motion.  The light changed to green and he went merrily on his way.  I continued straight through the intersection and into the parking lot of my destination store.  I was shaking.  All I could think of was what if there had been someone behind me? 

Moral of story (here’s the tactics part): always leave enough maneuvering room in front of your vehicle.  (I remember when my dad was teaching me to drive and telling me to see the rear tires of the car ahead of me.)  Lesson learned, and now refreshed after all these years.

So, what does the knife have to do with this?  When I got in the store, I told the woman behind the counter what almost happened, and there in front of me was a display of very unusual knives.  I don’t really need another bread knife, but as my knife guy likes to say, this one ‘spoke to me.’  As a reward for not being in an accident, I treated myself.  And boy, what a knife!  It cuts like a dream.  

http://www.dexterduoglide.com/  It even beats my beloved (and discontinued) Spyderco bread knife.  

That’s all for now.  Maybe you’ll hear from me again.

That’s my wife’s story.  I don’t like realizing how close she came to being injured.  But it’s an important message.  Tactics aren’t always about reloading before you go through the door, or FBI cant compared to straight drop holsters.  Tactics are about anticipating problems and having options available.

And every time I see that knife, I’m reminded to make sure my tactics are grounded and give me options.