Emergency Preparedness: A Lesson from the 70's

                                                                                            By Jeanette Vale

 As a child of the 70’s I rocked the polyester stretchy pants.   Wonder Woman was on television back then.   My brother would come screaming from the back of the house, at the very sound of the show starting.  Another boy-cousin fast on his heels.  “Wonder Woman!  Wonder Woman is starting!”.   They’d shoot past me, sliding to a halt ten inches from the screen. They were eight years old.

Linda Carter sure knew how to draw a crowd.  I bet it was her silver wrist cuffs.  We should sell those; they were bullet proof.  The truth lasso would also be a hot item.  I’d like to use that on a few people today. 

 Do you remember a children’s television show called “The Electric Company''?   The one with a young Bill Cosby, Rita Moreno, and Morgan Freeman in it.  They taught us life lessons!

One afternoon in my living room The Electric Company taught me something that stuck, and it was this: 

  “There is no excuse”. 

 It was a hard line to sell a kid, but I bought it.  Its truth resonated with me.  I measured a lot with that yardstick up until I became a teen, then nothing was my fault.    But over time wisdom took hold again.   I realize all the good and bad I have brought into my current situation now.

 A childhood example:  If I was late to school because I couldn’t find my shoes.  It was my fault, and I had no excuse. I should have laid those shoes out the night before.  Responsibility is always mine. This is not a popular teaching today.

There is no excuse to not be prepared for emergencies or natural disasters.  The cost of living and food has gone up so much.  It is hard to prepare. I acknowledge that.  Back in the day I could buy a twenty-five-pound bag of rice for $9.99. That same bag of rice is selling on Amazon for $55 today. Ouch.

We can still prepare, it is harder, but not impossible.  Does even a small effort make a difference?  absolutely.  

We have a Crystal Ball 

At the end of 2019, early 2020 we saw Covid-19 move across the globe before it got to us.  We saw how other countries were impacted with shelves going empty.  We still have this crystal ball benefit today.   I have been able to see what is coming down the pike.  It is splashed all over the news.  That is a good thing!  So let us use the window of time we have.

I'm so burned out from the trauma of this decade

I don't want to prepare.  I just want life to get back to 2019.  I don't want to worry about losing my job or a loved one.  I don't want to fight with people or their ideas on Social Media.   I wish an invisible jet would whisk me away to blue water and sand.

I hear you, my friend.   Find a way to decompress.  Breathe in, breathe out.  Yoga with Adrienne.  Repeat.  Hug the people you love.  Brush your daughters hair.  Snug a puppy.  Have a good cry.  And if you buy a can of tuna, just buy a second one.  Keep it simple if that is all you can do. 

You are going to love next weeks article.  It's about trash bags. I bet you've got one laying around.  Step on, prep on and enjoy a good rerun.

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