I know, I know, a ton of people in the self-defense profession are constantly talking about the benefits of pepper spray.
Do you see an article and say, I know, I know, I should always carry pepper spray? Do you carry pepper spray? Now is the time to listen!
If you have read some of my articles, you have probably seen this statement: “You don’t choose when and where an assault happens; the bad guy does.” I don’t believe there are any exceptions to this “rule,” so please think ahead and carry your pepper spray.
When I am in public, I carry two pepper spray units: one is “on-body” in my pocket and one is “off-body” in my purse with a “handle” attached to it for quick deployment. Both these units have the stream application.
Last year, I was presented with a situation where I needed to react, act and respond, all while helping others. I had spent a couple of months in and out of the ER and the hospital with a loved one. That means dropping him off at the ER, parking and walking alone at all hours, sitting in waiting rooms, eating in hospital cafeterias and walking the empty corridors alone. At times like these, not only are you “fending for yourself,” but also, your thoughts may be fixated on your loved one and distracted from changes in your environment, a stranger’s body language and even listening to your intuition. This could be an ugly mix when it comes to self-protection.
What Happened in the Waiting Room
I was in the waiting room for the family of the patients having heart procedures. It was a large room with plenty of seating. It had two TVs, two small tables (each with two moveable chairs), about 20 stationary chairs and four loveseats. Since we had to be there super early to check in, I wanted to lay my head down for a bit and veg, so I chose the loveseat in a corner. There were eight people there when I arrived. It was a family of six with two males and four females and another two mature ladies (not related).
The youngest male in the family group was about 21 and had a very boisterous personality that was ignored by the other family members. That told me that this young man probably had a pattern of “drama,” so I was paying attention, but not alarmed. As the morning went on, his “look-at-me persona” became more aggressive, so much so, that when he was not getting the attention he wished, he threw a full water bottle at his mom. This got the scrutiny of the other family members, and a verbal altercation ensued, which was exactly what the young man wanted. At this point, I sat up, secretly grabbed the pepper spray from my purse and discreetly placed it in my hand with my thumb ready. I also looked around the room and noticed that the two mature women were very uncomfortable. I made eye contact, smiled and nodded to them in a “Hello, I see you” look.
We got a break when everyone, but the mom and the young man, went to get breakfast. Things calmed down a bit, so I relaxed, but still staged the pepper spray next to me so I could grab quickly if needed.
No less than 10 minutes later, the yelling began again. This time he kicked one of those movable chairs and it went tumbling toward his mom. That’s it! I am out of there, and I am taking the two ladies with me. I got up, grabbed my things, had the pepper spray clearly visible in my hand, asked the two ladies if they would care to join me for a beverage and we all left together.
Next Moves
We went to the front desk to report the uncomfortable event in the waiting room, but no one was there, so I called the administration officer from the local desk phone. I explained the situation, kept my head up, kept the pepper spray in my hand and was prepared to use that tool if necessary. I was comforted knowing I had the other pepper spray in my front pocket that I could give to one of the ladies and she could “learn on the job” if necessary. I explained to the two ladies that we needed to stay clear of the waiting room for a while and let the professionals do their job.
Things to think about:
Thankfully, we were able to go back to the waiting room about 15 minutes later; the family was gone and we were able to wait for our loved ones to come out of a surgery in peace.
In retrospect, here are three good things came out of that incident:
Shelley Hill recommends and carries POM pepper spray.
Learn more tips about personal defense and safety from Shelley Hill over at her website, “The Complete Combatant.”
Shelley Hill wears a "bunch of hats." Her husband, Brian, named her the “Indispensable Organization Wizard” about 25 years ago and that has become her official title. Shelley is the CEO and instructor at The Complete Combatant. She is an HK Brand Ambassador, publishes regular articles in Women’s Outdoor News and Shooting Illustrated, teaches online classes, is an Active Self Protection Certified Instructor, an Instructor Graduate of Modern Samurai Project's Red Dot Instructor program, NRA Certified Instructor, Certified NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, Refuse to be a Victim Instructor and is a Certified OC (Pepper Spray) Instructor through Chuck Haggard's Agile Training & Consulting. She is the designer and mastermind behind Image Based Decisional Drills, Smart Choices , LockedIn Grip, The Complete Combatant's annual The Mingle for professional ladies in the "firearms/self defense" industry and The Quest for red dot shooters. She is also the President of a non-profit organization called Blue Line Ponies. This 501c3 focuses on providing a retirement range for our career service horses. Shelley is also a presenter at several national conferences is a public speaker and she actually loves people. View all posts by Shelley Hill
