Up here in my part of the world it’s time once again for Take Back the Night. This is a program designed to bring attention to all those women, yes women only: sorry guys, who were harmed in some way simply because they were on their own somewhere in the night time. In this country, in this world, it’s still unsafe for a female, men too, but more females, to walk by herself in the evening. Imagine that: really think about that for a minute. You’re a woman, you decide “hey I want to go out for some fresh air. There’s a park across the street, I think I’ll just go for a little stroll and enjoy the evening.” And, that’s not considered safe…What the heck is that all about? Why do we have to be so concerned for our own safety simply because we want to be out at night. It’s not like we’re little kids and have curfews: “don’t be home late, tomorrow’s a school day” That kind of stuff ended in grade school. Seriously, think about it, you open your door, you walk out and maybe, just maybe, you will get assaulted, murdered, raped…or maybe not. What will it take for this to be something women do not have to fear? We work nights, we go to school, we have to take public transit, we go to restaurants and socialize with friends…It’s like half the population in the world is being held hostage by the other half (yes I am really generalizing here) simply because we want to go out at night. So, what can we do? Well, let’s not let fear stand in our way, for starters. Second, have a plan, have a friend, take a cell phone, don’t walk in places that seem unsafe or sketchy, trust your intuition, (it ALWAYS knows) if something feels uncomfortable…be aware of your surroundings, learn martial arts, learn self-defense tactics…Be pro-active not reactive and then TAKE BACK THE NIGHT