I don’t know what got into me, except “Emergency Preparation” has been on my To Do List for years. Also, I know two people who lost homes in fires, and Jim and I are now in our 60’s. Whatever got me going, I just spent the past few weeks getting my life in much better order – both in terms of paperwork, and being ready to “grab and go” in case of a disaster. I also spoke with our insurance agent to find out more about our coverage – after hearing stories from people who lost their homes.
I think I went overboard – and it was really quite funny to see how many “survival kits” we had in our cars, carport, and home. Some were from the late 1980’s!!! So, we are consolidating, throwing away, organizing. And it feels so good and freeing! We looked at a number of “survival backpacks” on Amazon – but then we decided to make our own.
We now have people with keys to our home and fire-proof little suitcase safe with all of our critical papers and info. We filled out what I call “my life on a page.” We are updating our trust and medical powers of attorney. And, I wrote up a short “Evacuation List” that is on our refrigerator – a reminder of what to grab in case we need to get out fast.
What was very interesting was looking around our home and trying to figure out what I want to take if I have a few minutes to evacuate. I want my computers, back up drives, phones. My tennis shoes. My few medications. We put together really good “grab and go” bags – day packs full of all kinds of stuff, including cash and critical info. But what else? I realized I really had very little attachment to my “stuff!” I look at my evacuation list and most is practical – meds, computers, critical info…
Yes, I like my crystals and altar pieces, our VitaMix blender, a few clothes – but I keep looking around and asking myself – “what’s important? what do I really care about?” I care about our lives and health. I care about keeping our life in order (computers and phones) – but I don’t really have much attachment to the rest of it. It’s kind of freeing!
Now I am feeling motivated to do more cleaning, clearing, getting rid of… It’s exciting! Not just decluttering, but sorting through old files and boxes that are stashed away and ignored. It is time to keep lightening up! Fall is upon us – it is a time of letting go, as the leaves fall from the trees and plants go dormant. It is a wonderful time for us to prepare, then simplify and enjoy the season.
Now that we as prepared as we can be for the unknown future, we can focus on NOW, on enjoying the moment.
Want some help with being prepared? I found this article to offer simple and good info.