The Quiet Confidence Of Being Prepared

   One of my regrets in life is that I was never a scout as a kid. It just wasn’t in the cards in my family. I still have to google how to tie a special knot when necessary. 

   I’ve always admired their resourcefulness and the ‘can do’ attitude. But the best part of the scouts was their motto: Be Prepared. I loved that and was jealous since I didn’t have a motto of my own. 

   But the beauty of life is that it’s almost always possible to make up for what was missed. 

   I’m happy to report I’ve got in touch with my inner Boy Scout and would make my scout leader proud if I had ever had one. 

$400 Wake Up Call

   The journey started years ago when I was struggling financially. I read that a surprising number of Americans would be in a crisis over a $400 unexpected problem. 

   I knew I was one of them. 

   The vulnerability I allowed my young family to be exposed to was frightening. 

   With intentionality, determination and working through setbacks, we made it to a better place with a comfortable emergency fund.

   Money can never solve all of life’s problems but it can repair a car or replace a dead refrigerator. 

   Financial backup is a stress reliever. 

   Saving a few thousand dollars can answer a difficulty that will show up at some point. 

   Many learned this lesson the hard way in 2020 during the COVID era. They learned how quickly normal life can change and made people think differently about saving.  

When The Lights Go Out

   The other part of my preparedness journey came after moving to the Florida Panhandle. We settled in a quiet spot which hasn’t experienced a hurricane in over a hundred years. 

   Forgetting they are called emergencies because they arise unexpectedly, we were hit with three major storms in two years. Each time, we had snapped power poles, no electricity for several days and downed trees blocking driveways and roads. Our property is serviced by a well so loss of power meant not only lack of lights but water also. 

   Just how Covid made many people savers, the hurricanes made me more preparedness conscious. We have a generator, rainbarrels, fuel, a battery- powered fan, flashlights and chainsaws ready. Part of our pantry is strictly for ‘poo hitting the fan’. 

Lessons The Storms Teach

   In a strange way, I’m grateful for the lack of money and the hurricanes now. It’s been a real confidence builder since I feel ready for anything. 

   It’s also been an eye opener to two things. First, it helps you realize how resilient you are but may not know it. I made some tasty meals on a campstove on the porch. I showered in rainwater coming from our roof which felt exhilarating, and rescued our cat trapped under some brush. (I’m her hero forever now).  We made it through. 

Community. The Best Asset

   The other lesson is the power of a community. We have relationships with people whose names we didn’t know before the storms. We were SAVED by friends with tractors who opened the way for us to get out of the driveway and to civilization again. There’s nothing like huge, fallen Oaks across the path to make one feel helpless. 

   We shared with one another whatever we had, maybe hot coffee or a can of gas but it was available for whoever needed it. It was rural living in its finest hour.

   “Plan for what is difficult while it is easy, do what is great while it is small.” 

― Sun Tzu, The Art of War   

 Most of us will live through a crisis and then learn to be more prepared next time.

Prepare Before You Have To 

   But this post is for someone to skip the hardship and go straight to the preparation. 

   It’s the nature of life. There will be an emergency. 

   It isn’t negative or fatalistic thinking. But stuff will happen and will be more bearable with some forethought. 

   Another thought to consider, most things you buy to be prepared are not only for an emergency. A generator can be used while camping, so can a portable gas stove. Rainbarrels can water the garden and the cash in a sock  drawer can pay the pizza delivery guy if you’re short of cash. 

   A backup plan has no downside. If the emergency food nears its expiration date, eat it or give it to a food bank. 

   The worse-case scenario would be if you prepare and no crisis occurs. That’s great and what you want anyway. Wisdom is doing something today you’ll be glad for later. 

   Any money you spend on things you never use, is the price of not being a helpless victim.  

   If you feel unprepared, start small. Save some cash in an envelope, store some water and buy canned food. Get a solar phone charger and an emergency weather radio. See the whole list here: https://www.floridadisaster.org/planprepare/hurricane-supply-checklist/ 

  It isn’t just to prepare for hurricanes in Florida. Tornadoes or floods can happen anywhere. Power goes out randomly.

  Expect the unexpected. You won’t be sorry.