Oooooh, Icky, Icky, Icky

I had to deal with a Perv in the Pool today. Had to report said Perv to the pool manager. Turns out I'm not the first one, there have been several complaints about this guy in the last couple of weeks. The pool manager was thankfully very responsive:  this man will not be back. Sometimes it's hard to be a woman. I hate looking over my shoulder as I bike home, wondering if anyone is following me, especially the creepy guy in lane five.

It's a good reminder to follow our intuition, to be assertive, to take the time to make the complaint. It's one reason that I love the book The Gift of Fear by Gavin de Becker, as well as Protecting the Gift, his companion book for keeping your kids and teens safe. I like to re-read these books every couple of years. I like to remind myself that it's better to be rude than to be wrong about a dangerous predator. It's better to be the complainer than to be the victim. It's better to be alert than to be lulled into a false sense of security. I don't like to feel paranoid, and I'm not normally the type to worry unnecessarily. But when something or someone feels really really wrong and creepy, it's time to take action.