I don’t know exactly how, but somehow, I felt his presence behind me, and not only I felt him, I also felt that he was up to no good. My instincts kicked in, even though I was a small 9-year-old girl, somehow, I knew what to do next. 

I looked around me, I kept my wallet even tighter to myself, I sped up my pace a little, just enough to be slightly faster but not running. I felt that if I started running, I had no chance. He was a lot bigger than me, probably he was just a teenager, but to me, he looked huge. 

Seeing him through my scared eyes, he didn’t look friendly at all. You could see he was one of the Gypsies that lived in the makeshift cities in the outskirts of town. It looked like he didn’t showered in a while, his clothes, his skin and his hair looking dirty and disheveled. He was alone, and I noticed he had been following me for a while. 

It was in the middle of the day, the sun was out, we were at the market, and there were plenty of people around us buzzing around doing their shopping for the day. 

But, I felt that he was watching me, waiting to see where I was going next. He was tracking my movements. He was there before I entered one of the stores where I had to run an errand for my mom, and he was there after I left that store. 

I had to decide. What do I do next? Do I go home? 

My home wasn’t too far from the market; it was only a 5-minute walk. But that meant that I had to leave the market area and get in some streets that had less people. And I knew I didn’t want to be walking alone with him in my back…

Do I go back to the store and wait there for him to leave?

That meant I had to turn around and see what his next moves were, I could be waiting at the store forever for all that I knew…

What do I do?

Then, an idea popped out. And I decided to go for it.

Now, let me tell you, all these thoughts were coming to my mind really quickly, I was evaluating my options as I was walking on the street, in a matter of seconds all while I was feeling his eyes stuck on my neck.

So, when I settled for my idea, it just flowed really smoothly, like it was all part of the plan from the very beginning. 

I scanned the sidewalk in front of me. I looked around and saw the people walking, talking, carrying their bags, getting in and out of the stores, and then I saw what I needed. 

She was walking alone, a lady, maybe in her late thirties, doing her shopping, carrying a bag with her groceries in her right arm and just a few steps in front of me.

I moved.

I hurried towards her, I approached her on her left side, and I grabbed her left hand with my little hand, as if she were my own mom. 

She looked at me quite surprised. Her face was saying: What are you doing? Who are you? But, before she had the chance to say anything, I told her quickly that I was being followed and if she could help me. 

She was the sweetest lady in the world. Of course, she could help me. She let me continue walking slowly with her along the sidewalk holding hands. And we were both checking what he was doing next.

He moved past us. 

He went ahead and disappeared. 

I was breathing again…

After that, I thanked my savior and walked back home. I felt all the nerves coming at once, I was shaking, reacting to what just happened. 

But I was safe…

This was me when I was 9 years old. This was a real story. 

I remember clearly approaching the lady and grabbing her hand as if she was my mom. 

I was also a very shy girl, so this was bold for me, approaching a stranger and just grabbing them like that was not something I would ever think off, if you asked me... 

But, I did, and it probably saved me from trouble that day. 

Of course, I cannot say for sure that something bad would had happened if I didn't do anything, maybe I was wrong. But, looking back now and considering the risks and possible outcomes, I’m glad I reacted the way I did. 

I’ve been thinking about this story this past week because I’ve just finished reading the book “Everything is figureoutable” by Marie Forleo. Totally recommended, if you haven’t read it yet!!!

Going through the book, I started thinking of difficult situations where I had figured things out and this story came to mind.

I remembered this story before, but I never used it in a way that would empower me. Now, whenever I’ll have to face something hard, I’ll be thinking back about my 9-year-old self. 

If, when I was just a little girl, I was able to keep cool and find a way out during a stressful situation like my almost-being-mugged-story, then, I can find a way at any time.

Instead of focusing on the stress of the situation, instead of focusing on the fact that I almost got mugged and the fear associated with that, I choose to focus on my resourcefulness. I focus on how I was able to figure out what to do when I was in a difficult situation at 9 years old. 

When I look back now what I see is not a scared little girl afraid of what was going to happen, I see a brave 9-year-old girl that faced her fears and found a way out.

So, from now on, whenever I need inspiration, whenever I am stuck at something, that brave girl comes to the rescue.

I’ll look inside and I’ll see the little brave Sofia reaching out her hand to the lady. Finding a way out. Figuring it out…

How about you? Have you ever reflected back in all that you have accomplished in your life?

if you haven’t, I really think you should give it a try.

You might find out that you are braver than you thought.

You might realize that you can face difficult things in life and that could give you the courage to face whatever hard situations you might be going through now.

So take some time to reflect on your past. Think about thought times. You made it through. You have the courage to do anything. You can figure it out…

Who inspires you when you need to find a solution to a problem you are facing? How do you approach your problems? Have you ever looked back in your life and see when you were bold and brave and were able to figure things out? I encourage you to look back at your life and find your brave self, try it out!!! And, if you need extra help go get the book by Marie Forleo!!!

xoxo,

Sofia