[00:00:00] Emma: I was with my friend, Mary, and we were at Federation Square. For those of you that don't live in Melbourne, Federation Square is a piece in the middle of the city cobblestones architecture and museums and, close to walkways and bits and pieces. And Mary was in town for a small period of time.
[00:00:35] We decided to go for a walk along the Yarra. It was maybe five in the afternoon. And as we were walking back from our walk and talk. We saw two gangs of teens going really hard at each other. And it was really scary to me. I felt paralysed I wanted to help. I wanted to put myself right in the middle. And luckily, my friend Mary dragged me away.
[00:01:02] It was clear that they were all high on drugs. And that for me, getting in the middle of that would not have helped. I'm only five foot two. But I did feel sad for all of those kids, sad that they have chosen this type of life and wondering how that might be turned around. Today's episode is a bit of a personal share for me.
[00:01:23] I don't know about you, but as a
[00:01:26] woman in their 40s, I actually don't feel very safe
[00:01:30] when I'm out and about. I started the year upping my steps to 20, 000 steps a day. That was my goal to get to 20, 000 steps a day. And before you ask, yes, I've done it. I've done it every day since January 29. That's a lot of steps.
[00:01:44] and some of them needed to happen before breakfast. And for me, that meant a get up of 5am Do you know it is at 5am? I don't really,
[00:01:54] I really didn't like to think about it. And so, today's share is to see if I'm on my own or if you're feeling this way as well. Increasingly I'm feeling more unsafe as I walk the streets in my own neighbourhood. Is this you as well? I would love to know. Even if you're not in Melbourne, I think this happens around Australia.
[00:02:17] Look, I tend to not watch the news, I gave up watching the news in COVID because, you know, too much COVID, too much news, If I need to know it, someone will tell me.
[00:02:27] I had to think hard. about what my plan was to make me feel safer walking at five in the morning. I've got a book club. I've been a book club for about, or 20 years. And one of the ladies in the book club, I was telling her about my 5am walks and she's like, aren't you scared that someone's going to murder you?
[00:02:46] And I thought to myself, well, I wasn't, but thanks. Now I might be. And she said, aren't you just nervous? And I said, look, If your time is up, your time is up. But that time does not have to come prematurely, does it? So, I went out. I bought a bright yellow rain bird. it's just a waterproof jacket.
[00:03:04] I do walk with my dog. he's not menacing. He's a white Maltese and he's 15 years old. He'd probably lick someone to death. But somehow, Being with him made me feel a bit safer. I got a big torch. so that if I needed to, I could bop someone over the head with it.
[00:03:20] Now, the fact that I just said, bop someone over the head with it, tells me that I might not have the courage to bop someone over the head with it. Anyway, I took it with me. Cause you never know. I also took a personal alarm. One of those ones that you pull out and that goes, After about four weeks, my husband said, I'll come with you one morning.
[00:03:41] I said, Oh yeah, cool. That'd be great. So he came and he's like, It's pitch black, Em. I'm like, I know. He's like, how do you feel out here? I'm like, very unsafe. And he's like, right. So he's amazing, my husband. So he has been walking with me ever since. So I only have to endure this for four weeks, right? Four weeks was enough for me.
[00:04:00] And I would have kept doing it if he didn't come walking with me, but he is now coming walking with me. Shout out to Marky Mark. Don't even think he listens to Tea with the Queen, but anyway. That makes me feel safer, now he's a bigger guy, he's like 6 foot 2.
[00:04:14] two or something. he's beautifully built. He's my beefcake anyway. And he has no issue in walking through crowds. if someone gets his in his way, he'll just keep walking. Whereas us women, we scoot around it. We're like, Ooh, don't get in the way. Sorry, sorry, sorry. He does none of that. And so walking with him, we're Just made me feel so much more safe.
[00:04:40] But there are times when we're not together and I have to walk on my own. And like you who might be listening to this, you might just walk on your own. If you do walk on your own, can you please give this podcast a chance? episode to your partner to listen to. So if you're feeling like I'm feeling, which is a bit frightened about exercising in the dark which is redonkulous.
[00:05:04] It is redonkulous that in this day and age, a woman cannot feel safe going for a walk or run on her own. Don't you think? I've tried to explain this to some male friends. They just don't have the same level of understanding about it. I want to tell you a small story. So my husband and I were walking along and this guy almost hit us as he was coming into a service station as we were walking.
[00:05:32] my husband yelled out at him and I said, don't yell out at him. He's like, he almost hit us. He was well within his rights to, yell out. Right. And so I had to say to my husband, Hey, If I'm on my own next time, I'm just a target. And he's like, what? And I'm like, yeah, you can't do anything like that. It just got very real, very quick for both of us.
[00:05:56] This is a very real problem. I wish I had a resolution to this. I wish I knew what the answer was. Do you have the answer? If you have the answer, please let me know. I'm just super curious about. What actions you've been taking this year to make you feel safe? What of my actions might you take to make yourself feel safe?
[00:06:20] What have you done? Share them with me so I know. One of the other things that I have done, is if someone's working towards me, a male or a female, I will always say hello. Because I think, something's going to happen, at least I'll know their voice.
[00:06:34] Seriously, at least I'll know their voice. This has been a really personal share. I've been umming and ahhing whether or not to share this, because it is so personal, but it is something I'm experiencing and something I'm feeling deep down in my soul. And so if you're feeling this, please know you are not alone.
[00:06:54] If you're feeling this, please reach out to me. If you're feeling this, let's raise.
[00:07:00] it as an issue I hope after listening to this you might go, Hmm, I should take some of those tips. Or, Emma, I don't know what you're talking about, I feel perfectly safe. I hope that for you. I hope you feel perfectly safe.
[00:07:10] I know with my husband Marky Mark, I feel perfectly safe. The other thing that I did do, is I did when I went on retreats or whatever, I said, who wants to come for a walk with me? So I don't, I try not to walk on my own anymore. but I will if I have to, and I'm not going to let my fear get in the way of me getting out and doing what I need to do.
[00:07:29] Don't let your fear get in the way either. See you next week.
