Thinking “Worst Case” & How a Survival Blonde Learned to Lower the Bar for Happiness
To me, being prepared is like having insurance. The worst is less likely to happen if you’ve imagined how you would deal with whatever it is that you fear.
One of my jobs is writing disaster recovery material for corporate clients. In many U.S. industries this became essential after the September 11, 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. Even though 9/11 hit close to home – I was born in New York City – I never imagined I would ever have to face such a disaster.
Then the 2004 tsunami in Indonesia killed about 200,000 people. And in 2005, Hurricane Katrina – one of the most deadly hurricanes in the history of the United States – reminded me that I really did need to think about being ready for anything, I guess three really is “the charm.”
Every time I would read about a catastrophe somewhere in the world, my heart would break for the people and other living creatures whose lives were changed forever. And I was reminded that this could happen here. I began to imagine Worst Case Scenario and come up with a plan for each eventuality.
The good news is, I also began to think about all the stupid little things I had been complaining about. The car wouldn’t start … not a disaster. I gained 10 pounds … hardly a catastrophe. I couldn’t afford to take a vacation that year … a crisis in whose book?
By comparing my life – with its little “issues” – with the lives of people living in the aftermath of tsunamis, earthquakes, and volcanoes I was able to set my bench so low that almost every day is a day at the beach by comparison.
Here’s how I set my benchmark …
1) Any day I make it home to hug my cats is A GOOD DAY.
2) A day I get to stay home in my pajamas and not have to put on a face is A VERY GOOD DAY
3) A good day with dancing is A GREAT DAY.
So, what are you afraid of? Not making it home at night to feed the pets? Wear a dogtag with an emergency phone number. A flood? Add flood insurance to your homeowners policy and find the emergency route out of town. A power outage? Make sure your gas tank is always full and have some cash on hand.
Then, count your blessings. And don’t forget ... most of the things we worry about never happen.
Yours in Preparedness,
Survival Blonde
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