I am late for my blog. I really do try to publish every Friday, but there was just too much going on this week. Thursday was dinner at the in-laws and Friday was meant for early morning shopping sprees and eating even more turkey. I could blame it on the tryptophan in the turkey making me too drowsy, but that correlation is completely false. People get drowsy because they just eat too darn much. It was probably getting up at 3 am to shop that completely wore me out. Who keeps deciding to make those sales earlier each year anyway??
But this extra day has given me the opportunity to reflect on humanity and what would happen when a disaster hits.
Earlier this week I was in San Francisco with my teenage daughter. While waiting for our car in the parking garage, we engaged in some light-hearted conversation with two gentlemen also waiting for their car. As we got in our car, my daughter remarked how nice they were and how great it feels when complete strangers take the time to be pleasant and have a conversation. It got me thinking about something that Steve McAndrew (He's a fabulous person with the International Red Cross--more later) noted about this phenomenon in Haiti. In the middle of complete devastation, people, often strangers to one another, offered their hand, their help, their humanity to one another.
So my brief message this week is for the hope for us. I hope that civility and sincere help and giving to one another in times of crisis will triumph even in times of despair. I hope so. I sincerely hope so.
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Friday, November 19, 2010
Is Being Prepared Also Being Secure, and vice versa?
Yesterday I asked a police officer how prepared he was for an emergency. Do you have lots of water at home and your car, emergency kit, food, etc? Nope, he said with a smile. I got guns. I can get what I want. Of course he was joking, or at least I think he was, but there was a little sliver of truth there that got me thinking. What if I have really prepared myself, but others have not. Won’t they want my stuff?
I shuddered when I recalled Aesop’s Grasshopper and Ant fable. In that story, the Ant’s diligence pays off. The Grasshopper fiddled and played while the Ant worked to store food, so when winter came, the Grasshopper lost out. Big time. But in that tale, the Grasshopper didn’t have a gun either.
I would be the last person to advocate getting a gun for your Emergency Preparedness Kit. It’s not that I don’t know anything about guns. I grew up on a farm where my father taught me to shoot a rifle. I loved being with my father and went pretty much everywhere he went, which included hunting deer, rabbits and squirrels. But the rifle had a role in that rural setting and it was used strictly for putting meat on the table and nothing else. The point is that I don’t believe guns, notably handguns, should be a normal part of anyone’s “things to keep around the house.” This is the 21st century, for heaven’s sake. Can’t we just get along??
But what if...? It does make me pause. What if the Grasshoppers come to my house looking for my Antly reserves? I have no problem in standing up to bullies, but I am also realistic. In stressful times, people will not act as they normally would and desperation might make people do abnormal things.
As a mother, I am very protective of my children, but I am definitely in the “lightweight” division in any battle and I really need to consider other ways to BE PREPARED! Hence, I have decided that I need to do the following:
1. I need to make a concerted effort to get my neighbors prepared. If it takes a village to raise a kid, it will certain take the efforts of an entire neighborhood to survive a big disaster.
2. I need to secure my reserves. It will be no Fort Knox, but I really should make sure that the place where my Emergency Supply Bins reside are not set out like a buffet bar.
3. And I will get some pepper spray. You can buy a “civilian” caliber pepper spray canister for personal protection at sporting goods stores (although I fail to see the “sport” in using pepper spray...). It is obviously more of a deterrent than Homeland Security, but it might be enough to scare away a Grasshopper, or two.
You can’t prepare for it all, but by remembering human nature, you may be able to build secure surroundings to protect yourself, your family and the community you call home.
I shuddered when I recalled Aesop’s Grasshopper and Ant fable. In that story, the Ant’s diligence pays off. The Grasshopper fiddled and played while the Ant worked to store food, so when winter came, the Grasshopper lost out. Big time. But in that tale, the Grasshopper didn’t have a gun either.
I would be the last person to advocate getting a gun for your Emergency Preparedness Kit. It’s not that I don’t know anything about guns. I grew up on a farm where my father taught me to shoot a rifle. I loved being with my father and went pretty much everywhere he went, which included hunting deer, rabbits and squirrels. But the rifle had a role in that rural setting and it was used strictly for putting meat on the table and nothing else. The point is that I don’t believe guns, notably handguns, should be a normal part of anyone’s “things to keep around the house.” This is the 21st century, for heaven’s sake. Can’t we just get along??
But what if...? It does make me pause. What if the Grasshoppers come to my house looking for my Antly reserves? I have no problem in standing up to bullies, but I am also realistic. In stressful times, people will not act as they normally would and desperation might make people do abnormal things.
As a mother, I am very protective of my children, but I am definitely in the “lightweight” division in any battle and I really need to consider other ways to BE PREPARED! Hence, I have decided that I need to do the following:
1. I need to make a concerted effort to get my neighbors prepared. If it takes a village to raise a kid, it will certain take the efforts of an entire neighborhood to survive a big disaster.
2. I need to secure my reserves. It will be no Fort Knox, but I really should make sure that the place where my Emergency Supply Bins reside are not set out like a buffet bar.
3. And I will get some pepper spray. You can buy a “civilian” caliber pepper spray canister for personal protection at sporting goods stores (although I fail to see the “sport” in using pepper spray...). It is obviously more of a deterrent than Homeland Security, but it might be enough to scare away a Grasshopper, or two.
You can’t prepare for it all, but by remembering human nature, you may be able to build secure surroundings to protect yourself, your family and the community you call home.
Friday, November 12, 2010
Why We Don’t Prepare, Part Two
From my October 29 blog, we now know that PROCRASTINATION is the proverbial ball and chain around the ankles of those who know they need to do something, but, well, never really get around to it. Part Two of this double-edged sword is equally harmful, but also “curable.”
AVOIDANCE BEHAVIOR. n. A conscious or unconscious defense mechanism by which a person tries to escape from unpleasant situations or feelings, such as anxiety and pain. [1]
Avoidance behavior simply keeps us from doing what we need to do. This is not just putting something off until later. This is completely ignoring its existence. And the problem with this behavior is that it is “self-reinforcing.” According to psychologist Dr. Russell A. Dewey [2], we avoid things we don’t like to experience, which means that we avoid bad feelings and then feel good about not dealing with the bad, which reinforces the avoidance and.... well, you see how the dog chases its tail. It’s called “escape learning” and every one of us does this to some degree.
The good news is that there are some pretty basic steps we can all take to tackle this destructive behavior head-on and with relatively little pain. In my search to find some background information, however, I Googled “avoiding unpleasant things” and was momentarily thrown off track by a topic on “Avoiding Unpleasant Encounters: Backcountry Bear Basics,” [3], and “Tips on Avoiding Unpleasant Surprises in your Pancakes!” [4] – exclamation mark theirs, not mine, with an announcement that “Pancake Day is nearly upon us.” Who knew?
From Brighthub.com [5], I found “Strategies that can help you stop avoiding the things you don’t want to do.” These simple yet brilliant ideas were:
1. Find something you want to do even less
LOVED this one. I am quite sure we can find many things we’d rather not do than start putting together your family’s disaster kit. Share your lists with friends. Could be fun!
2. Break down the task in smaller parts
Something I had suggested in my earlier messages. Step by step, you can do little things. It is just important to keep going once you have started.
3. Reward Yourself
Treat yourself to a cup of frozen yogurt or a new book after you finally get your important contact information and instructions to all of your family members. Make a list of rewards for future milestones.
4. Set A Time Limit
Yes! Even if you spent 10 minutes a week on disaster preparedness, that is the same time spent on an easy level of Sudoku and much more worthwhile. And in a year’s time, you will have devoted over 8 hours getting prepared!
5. Keep Focused On What Is Important
Put up a photo of your family, your dog, your next year’s vacation spot – whatever it takes to remind you that you need to keep working on emergency readiness so you will survive and recover. They all depend on what you do today.
6. Sue’s Addition: Remember that all this preparedness stuff is a positive thing.
You will rest better at night knowing that you will come out of any disaster in good shape. You will have prepared yourself, your family, your car and home for the worst.
So don’t avoid that proud smile and a pat on the back for being prepared. Enjoy it. You deserve it.
1] [http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/avoidance+behavior]
2] http://www.psywww.com/intropsych/ch05_conditioning/avoidance_and_escape_learning.html
3] Backcountry Bear Basics: The Definitive Guide to Avoiding Unpleasant Encounters by David Smith
4] http://www.prlog.org/10530761-rentokil-tips-on-avoiding-unpleasant-surprises-in-your-pancakes.html
5] http://www.brighthub.com/office/home/articles/25537.aspx
AVOIDANCE BEHAVIOR. n. A conscious or unconscious defense mechanism by which a person tries to escape from unpleasant situations or feelings, such as anxiety and pain. [1]
Avoidance behavior simply keeps us from doing what we need to do. This is not just putting something off until later. This is completely ignoring its existence. And the problem with this behavior is that it is “self-reinforcing.” According to psychologist Dr. Russell A. Dewey [2], we avoid things we don’t like to experience, which means that we avoid bad feelings and then feel good about not dealing with the bad, which reinforces the avoidance and.... well, you see how the dog chases its tail. It’s called “escape learning” and every one of us does this to some degree.
The good news is that there are some pretty basic steps we can all take to tackle this destructive behavior head-on and with relatively little pain. In my search to find some background information, however, I Googled “avoiding unpleasant things” and was momentarily thrown off track by a topic on “Avoiding Unpleasant Encounters: Backcountry Bear Basics,” [3], and “Tips on Avoiding Unpleasant Surprises in your Pancakes!” [4] – exclamation mark theirs, not mine, with an announcement that “Pancake Day is nearly upon us.” Who knew?
From Brighthub.com [5], I found “Strategies that can help you stop avoiding the things you don’t want to do.” These simple yet brilliant ideas were:
1. Find something you want to do even less
LOVED this one. I am quite sure we can find many things we’d rather not do than start putting together your family’s disaster kit. Share your lists with friends. Could be fun!
2. Break down the task in smaller parts
Something I had suggested in my earlier messages. Step by step, you can do little things. It is just important to keep going once you have started.
3. Reward Yourself
Treat yourself to a cup of frozen yogurt or a new book after you finally get your important contact information and instructions to all of your family members. Make a list of rewards for future milestones.
4. Set A Time Limit
Yes! Even if you spent 10 minutes a week on disaster preparedness, that is the same time spent on an easy level of Sudoku and much more worthwhile. And in a year’s time, you will have devoted over 8 hours getting prepared!
5. Keep Focused On What Is Important
Put up a photo of your family, your dog, your next year’s vacation spot – whatever it takes to remind you that you need to keep working on emergency readiness so you will survive and recover. They all depend on what you do today.
6. Sue’s Addition: Remember that all this preparedness stuff is a positive thing.
You will rest better at night knowing that you will come out of any disaster in good shape. You will have prepared yourself, your family, your car and home for the worst.
So don’t avoid that proud smile and a pat on the back for being prepared. Enjoy it. You deserve it.
1] [http://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/avoidance+behavior]
2] http://www.psywww.com/intropsych/ch05_conditioning/avoidance_and_escape_learning.html
3] Backcountry Bear Basics: The Definitive Guide to Avoiding Unpleasant Encounters by David Smith
4] http://www.prlog.org/10530761-rentokil-tips-on-avoiding-unpleasant-surprises-in-your-pancakes.html
5] http://www.brighthub.com/office/home/articles/25537.aspx
Friday, November 5, 2010
When it rains...
You have heard the saying...when it rains, it pours. Maybe that is more of a term said in places where it rains much more often than southern California. In the 21 years I have lived here, I have only witnessed it "pouring" a couple of times. You know the kind… where the drops are big and closely spaced together and it seems more like a thick wall of water than individual drops.
People think that I experienced heavy rain while living in Seattle for 6 years. Not true. I experienced a LOT of rain because it fell with almost daily regularity, but rarely heavily. In Thailand, I got caught in a tropical rain storm that felt like I was standing in a waterfall. Now that’s a "downpour.”
The point of all this is to remind us of the power of water and what Mother Nature can do with it. Haiti, who experienced a devastating earthquake last January and recent outbreak of cholera, is soon to expect another swipe at their island home-- a hurricane. Nature takes no notice of the need for recovery because that is just how the natural world works.
So when we are preparing for emergencies, we usually think of preparing for a fire, or an earthquake, or (actually possible here) a flood, we think of a single disaster. The reality is that, as our Haitian neighbors are experiencing, we could be hit with a series of disasters. Southern California has already experienced that in the form of mudslides which follow wildfires. It’s sad to read about these incidents but since they are in relatively small and/isolated areas, we tend to forget about them quickly, and relinquish them to “somewhere else.”
So when putting together your Emergency Preparedness kits, try to envision the variety of disasters that could happen, at different times of the year and possibly together. No disaster is fun, but surviving doesn't have to feel like you are in a constant downpour. Just make sure you start getting ready now.
People think that I experienced heavy rain while living in Seattle for 6 years. Not true. I experienced a LOT of rain because it fell with almost daily regularity, but rarely heavily. In Thailand, I got caught in a tropical rain storm that felt like I was standing in a waterfall. Now that’s a "downpour.”
The point of all this is to remind us of the power of water and what Mother Nature can do with it. Haiti, who experienced a devastating earthquake last January and recent outbreak of cholera, is soon to expect another swipe at their island home-- a hurricane. Nature takes no notice of the need for recovery because that is just how the natural world works.
So when we are preparing for emergencies, we usually think of preparing for a fire, or an earthquake, or (actually possible here) a flood, we think of a single disaster. The reality is that, as our Haitian neighbors are experiencing, we could be hit with a series of disasters. Southern California has already experienced that in the form of mudslides which follow wildfires. It’s sad to read about these incidents but since they are in relatively small and/isolated areas, we tend to forget about them quickly, and relinquish them to “somewhere else.”
So when putting together your Emergency Preparedness kits, try to envision the variety of disasters that could happen, at different times of the year and possibly together. No disaster is fun, but surviving doesn't have to feel like you are in a constant downpour. Just make sure you start getting ready now.
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