It occurred on my way home after work around 9:00 PM. By that time, it's quite dark in Toronto, Canada, the temperature dropped just below 1-degree Celsius, and the poorly lit street lights didn't help much. Exhausted from work, I took my time walking home but relieved to know that my place was just right around the corner. Until...

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A black car pulls up and parks ahead in the distance.

Source

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Now, there's been occasional home invasions and robberies in my area. Once in a while, somebody gets shot/murdered, but rarely. That said, I've always thought my area was a fairly safe area and I still do. So, I didn't expect any threats.

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My place was just right around the corner pass the car. When I walked closer to the vehicle, which was parked on the side of the road, a guy (we'll call him Guy) stepped out and started looking through his trunk. As I was walked pass, he had mumbled something in my direction. I peered in his direction and asked him to repeat it.

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"Shoot his leg"

At that moment he immediately grabbed my arm and told me to give him all my belongings. I stepped back but he wouldn't let go, so I grabbed his arm and squeezed it until he eventually let go. Then, his friend stepped out of the car. He had a black balaclava on with his hands in the kangaroo pocket of his hoodie.

Balaclava threatened to shoot me if I didn't give him my belongings. I called his bluff. I exclaimed, "Fuck that! You're not getting shit!". Pointing to my right leg, Guy then said, "Shoot his leg". Balaclava pulled out his gun from his kangaroo pocket.

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Source

My immediate thought was, if I get shot in the leg, then I wouldn't be able to work and if I don't work, then I can't pay off my debts. And if I don't pay off my debts, then I'll be in more debt.

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So I forfeited by belongings, i.e., my phone, wallet, and my backpack. Balaclava took my phone and returned to the car. Guy ravaged through my backpack and realized I had nothing of value so he returned it. As he looked through my wallet hoping to find cash, I was hoping he wouldn't take the lottery ticket I had just bought. I know! The percentage of winning $60 million is close to impossible, but you never know! Anyway, I never carry cash -- only cards. So, Guy returned my wallet. How thoughtful. He jumped in his car, then drove off.

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Unfortunately, I couldn't recover much detail from last night mainly because I was too exhausted from work. All I remember from that incident was that they were just kids -- as in high school or a bit older.

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I went home grumpy and sulky about my now-gone notes and write-ups. Strangely enough, I wasn't frightened or traumatized. I think the fact that all my notes were gone might have overwritten those emotions. If only they were decent enough to at least email me my notes!

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On the plus side, they may refer to this incident in one of their rap songs! That's right folks I could be in a rap song one day!

What have you accomplished??

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So what did I learn from this experience?

1. Backup valuable notes.

Over the years, I wrote a lot of ideas and concepts on my phone -- screenplays, stories, business plans, marketing strategies, and even more recently a lot of content for Steemit and more miscellaneous notes. The gun threat and having my phone stolen was least of my worries. I was more annoyed that all my written material was gone. AND I have a short-term memory.

So I realized, moving forward, I should keep a backup of any valuable information, either in the cloud or my laptop (which might be a bad idea, since it's slowly dying now).

2. Self-reflection is necessary.

I was reminded that I'm essentially working to pay off my debts. I'm aware a lot of people are in that situation -- grinding at some miscellaneous job to pay off debts. However, for me, I thought that perhaps I need to re-evaluate my priorities, because if my initial thought when having a gun pulled on me paying off my debts, then self-reflection is necessary.

3. Lock your devices.

I've never pattern/password locked my phone until two years ago. So I'm glad I did. Especially now because of cryptocurrency. If you haven't done so, I highly recommend it, especially if you used your phone for ANYTHING related to cryptocurrency.

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In retrospect, I was fortunate to not have started a physical retaliation when Guy first grabbed my arm. I didn't even consider another person in the car. For all I know, there could've been more kids in the car and the outcome could have been worse.

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I'm sure there are people on Steemit who've experienced similar situations where you had no control due to a gun threat. Ain't that a bitch?

Johnny "Guitar" Watson - Ain't That A Bitch