I am…a talker.

Carrying on conversations hasn’t always been part of my personality, in fact, anything but that.  It took years before the realization set in that I had something worthwhile to say, even more of an expanse of time where anyone listened.

That…has changed significantly as the years have passed.  Honestly, I don’t know if some of the knowledge stored on the hard drive of my brain just broke loose, made a run for it, or opportunities to randomly opine provided me with a long overdue talking platform.

Mind you, conversations held with select groups of friends, and family, can be easy.  Comfortable.  Take that to the next level where one speaks to a group of strangers, something else entirely.  Sweaty palms, squeaky voice, memory lapses and good old stage fright.  It happens.  Suddenly, you aren’t quite so witty anymore.  You tend to stumble over your words and hold onto prepared notes with a death grip.  No matter how much you rehearse at home, in front of a mirror, and sound like you’ve been doing presentations, or instruction for years, once you look out at a gathering of judgmental faces sitting before you, sheer panic sets in.

All of this came into play when I became a Firearms Instructor, several years ago.  Let’s face it, most of what’s involved with guns has predominantly been a man’s world.  Women have emerged into the sport of competitive shooting, but the instructional part has been dominated by men, at least in my neck of the woods.  Many women feel somewhat intimidated when they attend a firearms safety course where they may number 2 or 3 in a roomful of men.  I remember feeling the same back when I went for my instruction but, I held onto my rigid determination to pass the course with a perfect score.  Enter the keyword here…determination!  Women have it in just about everything they do.  That gave me the impetus to become an instructor and open a comfortable educational environment for women to learn gun safety.

The day came for me to assist with teaching and dreaded stage fright stepped in at the start of the 8 hour course.  There I stood, way, way out of my personal comfort zone, preparing to teach several women who were feeling the same trepidation.   Most had never seen, or handled, a firearm up close while the men in the class sat there, smug in their handgun ability.  As I began speaking, I realized there was such an eagerness to learn on the part of the women students, my nervousness slowly disappeared.  I focused on how women excel at repetitive tasks and how safe gun handling is just that, a series of thoughts, movements and practices.  The ladies asked questions, they made endless notes and became so involved in all phases of the course.  Initially, they may have felt uncomfortable but that quickly passed as the instruction continued.  Here in New York, one must be licensed to use a handgun and in the courses I assist with, we do some outside range time utilizing pellet handguns for individuals not having a pistol license.  This gives students a great opportunity to go through the important steps of safe gun handling and do some target practice.  The women on the shooting range?  Outstanding!  And…determined!

And, please, nothing against any man reading this.  C’mon guys, let’s face it, the norm has always been, give a boy a stick and he’ll make an imaginary gun; give that same stick to a girl, she’ll use it to stir a pot of soup.  Well, let me tell you, get a woman out of her comfort zone, and into one of my courses, and she’ll surprise the hell outta you!

I even managed to surprise the hell outta me!

From Mama Kat’s Writer’s Workshop…Share an experience that forced you to step outside of your comfort zone.