A Life-Altering Reflection: From a Frightening Mugging to Empowered Awareness

“We do not learn from experience…we learn from reflecting on experience.” ~John Dewey

These words ring true for many of life's encounters, even the ones that shake us to our core. I want to share an experience that happened to me in ninth grade because of the profound sense of self-awareness that still guides me throughout my life today.

Spending time in my High School hometown a year ago in California to reunite with classmates from 50 years ago was exciting. Our reunion was last summer, and I was on the committee to help get the plans underway. I flew into San Luis Obispo to meet up with a girlfriend who was my best friend in high school. We stayed in contact all these years and thought this would be a great time to do a road trip, and she lived four hours from our destination.

Most things changed as we drove around the old neighborhood, including the school, which prompted us to share our cherished memories. But some things didn't change, including one memory that floated around my thoughts at each turn and is still etched in my mind and heart, today.

Back in the early seventies, kids walked everywhere. We knew all the shortcuts through alleys and fields to get where we wanted. Our family lived about a mile away from the school. It was a new development, and we had an open field behind the homes divided by a 7ft brick wall. When leaving the school grounds, I'd walk up a long hill, go over a freeway bridge, and slide down a high embankment, which took me to the back entrance of our development. Most times, instead of walking home on the sidewalks of all the houses, I'd cross the street, go behind the brick wall, and walk the rest of the way in the open field. So, instead of taking 15 minutes to get home, it took eight minutes. There were also a few openings between the wall and streets for people to enter and leave.

Orange County, California, was the place to be if you enjoyed going to or driving in speedway races. We had a well-known race car driver who lived at the end of our development, and there were always guys working on a race car in the garage or just shooting the breeze out on the front lawn, as it was on the day that I decided to walk through the field home. I walked past them, glanced at what was happening, and disappeared into the field. I was carrying a small purse with lipstick, candy, and maybe a brush. You know, just a few essentials for a ninth grader.😅

Halfway through the field, I saw a large, furry caterpillar walking sideways on the brick wall, and since I have always had a love for Nature, the small child within had returned for a moment and wanted to feel it.

As I bent over and felt it, I heard someone quickly running a little distance behind me. I didn't straighten up or turn around, assuming whoever it was would just run past me.

I thought wrong.

The steps were getting very close, so I straightened up before turning around. Instantly, I felt a firm grip on one of my shoulders, followed by the shattering of a glass bottle against my head. Then, he took hold of the other shoulder and forcefully threw me to the ground.

Once I hit the ground, instinctively, I crouched together and screamed into my lap. I opened my eyes slightly and saw boots and looked up barely seeing his face. I could see that this was a young man. He stood over me briefly and then grabbed my purse, and ran. I quickly stood up and watched him disappear towards the race car house. At that moment, I felt something wet slide down my forehead, nose, and sides of my face. I knew it wasn't tears because I wasn't crying, but as I wiped it off, blood was all over my hands. That snapped me out of it. I looked down, seeing the broken glass and blood; I turned and ran home as fast as I could. It was only three minutes away, and when I got into the house, I yelled to my mom to help me.

Mom saw me as she ran down the stairs; her eyes widened, and she called my dad. I thought… "Dad's home?"

Now, my dad was a man who rarely got sick, but on this day, he came home early because he was not feeling well. My mom was a nurse and had the day off and I was relieved they were both home. As she took the pieces of glass out of my scalp and Dad wiped the blood off my arms, she asked with calmness what had happened. I tried to explain but shook so much that it was hard to talk and make sense, but they understood. As mom examined the top of my head, she felt it needed some attention and called our Doctor. We arrived at his office in less than an hour.

After the examination, the Doctor said I had a concussion and put small butterfly bandages on the cuts. He told my mom if there was any wine in the house, to give me a small glass to calm me down and to keep me home the next day. My first thought was, "Wow, wine! My siblings are going to be so jealous." 😅
While we were away, my dad called the police and told them what had happened. It was later in the evening, so they said they'd be over mid-morning the next day to get my story.

Upon opening the door, my dad issued them in. They asked me to describe the person who attacked me and any details that stood out and where I saw him run to. After I answered the best I could, they said they'd be back in a few minutes. When they returned, they asked my parents if they could take me for a short drive, and into their backseat I went.

We stopped across the street from the race car house. Guys stood in the garage like in a line, watching us as we pulled up. When the police got out, they asked me to roll my window down, look at the men in the garage, and tell them if any of them looked like the one who mugged me.

As I scanned them, one guy was in the middle, a little out of line and back. Our eyes met, and he slowly moved his head back and forth as if to say, "Don't say a word." Feeling fearful, I waited a moment, looked up at the policeman, and said, "No, officer, they don't look familiar to me."

And that was that.

When it was time to go to school the following day, my mom and dad said not to go through the field, to walk out where the homes were, and I should be safe.

As I thought about this experience years later and had kids of my own, I thought it strange that there was no "We will now be driving you to and from school." It was, "Stay aware of your surroundings, Terry, and walk where you can be seen." That's it! I didn't think anything of it either. I was nervous but trusted their words, so I did.

During this surprise attack, something awakened inside me. As I heard the young man running toward me, I felt an airlift as if my cells had expanded and were on high alert.

When he broke the bottle over my head, I heard a calm, relaxed voice within me say, "That didn't hurt."

When I hit the ground, I heard the voice again say, "Nor did that, you are fine."

As I write this, I hear the voice again; it is still just as calm and matter-of-fact.
When I saw the blood, something snapped me back to what was physically happening, and I quickly moved towards home. As I ran, I remember saying quietly, "What just happened? Oh my gosh, what just happened."

Once inside my house, I felt safe and started shaking, calling my mom. When she called for my dad, the calm me thought, "Why was Dad home? He's never home during the day, is he okay?"

Then, as they cared for me, the shaking began again. I felt like I was back and forth between my spirit self and the human self.

The next day, as I walked to school and heard my pant legs brush together, I instantly went into 'run' mode and sprinted a few feet before I realized it was my pants. My body instinctively did this to protect me, which fascinated me. Once at school, I subconsciously knew I was safe, and my cells acted accordingly.

When I walked home, it would happen again, and even when I heard something behind me, I went into 'run' mode, and this feeling went on for weeks.

As time has passed, I have become keenly aware of what is just noise and what is not. And, if danger is sensed before the fact, the uplift of cells rises. It is rare for someone or even a loud boom from somewhere that will make me jump in surprise. When we lived on the West Coast, I could sense an earthquake before the ground started shaking. And, rarely am I out of control in situations where chaos is.

As I have reflected on this experience, my awareness is always quietly heightened. Would I wish this on anyone? Of course not. But, because it did happen, the positive for me outweighed the negative. Every once in a while, in conversations, if I remember, I'll share this story, but I always bring up the positive aspects and am grateful for the lessons I learned.

Ultimately, our life experiences, even the most harrowing ones, have the power to shape us into stronger, more resilient individuals. My story, "From being mugged to empowered awareness," serves as an essential reminder that reflection can turn frightening ordeals into growth and instill a deep, lasting sense of inner strength and awareness.

John Dewey's wisdom holds true: we learn from reflecting on experience, and in doing so, we can find courage and wisdom in unexpected places.

Thought to ponder:
What challenging experiences have happened in your life that, when you reflect on them, you realize the power they carried to shape you? Was it a strength, resilience, and more courageous individual? 

Thank you for stopping by.🌷 Your reading and responding is always a gift to me. If you feel someone would benefit from this story, please pass it along.🦋

©2025 Terry Pottinger