Will

I had a dream a while back that reflect my thinking on self defense I have picked because of gun blogging, et al.  Then THIS comes out in a post.   Where a guy realized, while taking the stinky end of the stick in a knife fight, that he had a .25 pistol...

Robb expounds on the issue of Will being the first means of resistance you employ.  It's not how well armed you are, everything is a weapon.  Better weapons are better, but the vital part of the self-defense equation is your wetware.

Jeff Cooper recommends, when you find yourself in a struggle for survival, get mad.  Convert fear to anger.  Go from "Holy crap this guy is attacking me, I'm in danger," to, "how DARE he attack me, dammit!"

In my dream I was going for my snubbie when the home invader shot me in the throat.  That spot right between the collar bones.  I knew, in dreamland, I was a goner and was lying on the floor next to my bed.  My thought, then, "am I hurt so bad that I can't get up and still go for the snubbie and put up a fight?"

That's a great improvement in attitude in my nightmare.  The thought of resistance at least occurs to me, rather than just curling up.  But I still have it half wrong.  My final thought before waking should be, "I am still going to go for my snubbie and put up a fight."  THAT is the reaction.  That should be instinctive.  What's the worst that can happen?  You can get killed?  You are already getting killed.

So my subconscious almost has the right combo...  Not there yet. 

(also:  stupid dream-blog-post.  tedious.... mea culpa)