Memorial Day is a day to honor and remember those individuals who have given their lives while in the U.S. military service. It began sometime in the late 1860’s to pay homage to and decorate the graves of Civil War soldiers, although it was not officially a federal holiday until 1971. Regardless of its beginning, it should give everyone a moment of pause to salute, in whatever manner, to those who made those decisions to put on uniforms to represent and give their lives as U.S. soldiers.
Memory is a funny thing, though. We vow to various things -- “We will never forget,” yet somehow we really do. It is not that these things do not matter. We just somehow find a place of comfort, or perhaps just routine, so that we put some things to the back of our mind, and subtly, from our purpose.
We have very recently seen the unbelievable destruction in Joplin, Missouri. Houses, hospitals, entire communities were flatted and strewn over miles. We ache for those who stand outside the cracked and splintered remnants of their homes, either engulfed in tears or stunned to silence. The images take your breath away.
Those are images that we think we will never forget. Yet... Do you recall the images of Christchurch, New Zealand? That was just in January. Five months ago. Or how about Fukashima, Japan? Two months ago. Don’t you remember?
If we did remember, we would be assembling our emergency kits for our home, our car, our workplace. We would be contacting our relatives out of state to contact during emergencies. We would be securing important paperwork, such as insurance policies, birth certificates, prescription drug lists and dog licenses in a place we could access if we could not enter our houses. We would talk to our neighbors about assembling community teams to support one another during disasters. We would do these things because we haven’t forgotten New Orleans, Haiti, Christchurch or Fukashima.
We do mean that “We will never forget.” We just sometimes don’t remember.
Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Monday, May 23, 2011
We're Still Here
Personally, I am really over hearing about The End that didn’t come on Saturday, May 21, 2011 by 6 pm (any time zone, Earth). And, on that note, I should really leave it alone, but it points out something that is completely related to what I have been saying about being prepared. In the face of something insurmountable, we either 1) Do nothing, or 2) Look for an easy way out.
I was shocked, as many probably were, of the stories of people who sold everything, packed their bags and literally waited at the curb to “be taken.” Since nothing did happen, it really seems absurd, but that is exactly what we do when faced with something over which we have so little control. For example, there was a story of man whose house was in foreclosure and he'd lost his job, so maxed out his credit cards to get him to May 21 when it would all finally be over. He simply felt helpless and saw this as a solution to all his problems.
When preparing for anything that scares us, makes us uncomfortable, or depresses us, we will do nearly anything to avoid it. In college, I used to suddenly become obsessed with cleaning my apartment instead working on some complicated physics problems. Not that I don’t like my house clean, but at any other time of my life, I could have cared less about competing with Rosie the Robot. It’s simply avoidance. Or, perhaps, substitution of doing something we know we can accomplish rather than tackle something that seems so impossible to do.
So, here is some help. My favorite place to start is with a case of water. Easy Peasy. Stop home on the way from work or school and put a case in the trunk of your car. It is probably on sale anyway. Then for the rest of the week, think about what would make you uncomfortable if you got stranded in your car. Personally, I hate being uncomfortable and cold, so I make sure I have a comfortable pair of walking shoes, socks and a nice warm blanket along with my case of water. Chances are, you have an old pair of running shoes that might not look so good any more, but would be welcome relief if you get stuck somewhere away from home in those incredibly sexy, but highly impractical, three-inch heels.
To best utilize your trunk space, I recommend a bag for all of this stuff (except the case of water, which I leave by itself). A gym bag would work. Or, one “freebie” is that heavy-duty clear plastic zippered case that new blankets and sheet-sets come in. They often have handles and are great for this purpose. They zip to keep dirt out, but they are clear so you can see what is in them.
So, we’re still here and there’s lots to do, but it’s really not all that hard. You just have to start and I am here to help you. You can count on that. Really.
I was shocked, as many probably were, of the stories of people who sold everything, packed their bags and literally waited at the curb to “be taken.” Since nothing did happen, it really seems absurd, but that is exactly what we do when faced with something over which we have so little control. For example, there was a story of man whose house was in foreclosure and he'd lost his job, so maxed out his credit cards to get him to May 21 when it would all finally be over. He simply felt helpless and saw this as a solution to all his problems.
When preparing for anything that scares us, makes us uncomfortable, or depresses us, we will do nearly anything to avoid it. In college, I used to suddenly become obsessed with cleaning my apartment instead working on some complicated physics problems. Not that I don’t like my house clean, but at any other time of my life, I could have cared less about competing with Rosie the Robot. It’s simply avoidance. Or, perhaps, substitution of doing something we know we can accomplish rather than tackle something that seems so impossible to do.
So, here is some help. My favorite place to start is with a case of water. Easy Peasy. Stop home on the way from work or school and put a case in the trunk of your car. It is probably on sale anyway. Then for the rest of the week, think about what would make you uncomfortable if you got stranded in your car. Personally, I hate being uncomfortable and cold, so I make sure I have a comfortable pair of walking shoes, socks and a nice warm blanket along with my case of water. Chances are, you have an old pair of running shoes that might not look so good any more, but would be welcome relief if you get stuck somewhere away from home in those incredibly sexy, but highly impractical, three-inch heels.
To best utilize your trunk space, I recommend a bag for all of this stuff (except the case of water, which I leave by itself). A gym bag would work. Or, one “freebie” is that heavy-duty clear plastic zippered case that new blankets and sheet-sets come in. They often have handles and are great for this purpose. They zip to keep dirt out, but they are clear so you can see what is in them.
So, we’re still here and there’s lots to do, but it’s really not all that hard. You just have to start and I am here to help you. You can count on that. Really.
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The Word
Word Power! Word On! Go Words! That is the extent of my cheer list, but words can be powerful stuff and we sometimes forget that. For example, I teach an Occupational Health class through the Health Science Department here at the University and my students had to write a 10-15 page paper (yeah, am I mean or crazy?), that examined the duties of a particular occupation and its associated hazards and prevention methods. As usual, there was the range of the stunningly wonderful paper to the, well, the not so wonderful. And, what makes the difference? The words!
Words, carefully chosen and assembled, can create visual images, deliver important information or even teach. They can tell a story, provide details to a process or event or provide the opportunity to experience something from another person’s perspective. In the right order, they can be powerful. Elegant. Musical. They can make a person say, “Wow!” or “Beautiful,” or give a person pause.
I am reminded of this aspect of words when considering of the importance of communication – for any reason. I am communicating right now – through my blog – in the hopes of telling you a story, however brief, that will make you say, “Gee, I never thought of that before.” And, just because it is in my personality and, quite frankly, I can’t help myself, I always like to throw in something to make you smile or possibly solicit an LOL.
When I tell people why we need to be prepared for emergencies, I carefully choose my words. Words can act like clubs, a tap on a shoulder, or even a tickle. They make the difference of inviting a reader, or turning them off, so it is important that you know how to use them to your advantage.
They are powerful stuff, those words, so choose carefully. Go Words!
Words, carefully chosen and assembled, can create visual images, deliver important information or even teach. They can tell a story, provide details to a process or event or provide the opportunity to experience something from another person’s perspective. In the right order, they can be powerful. Elegant. Musical. They can make a person say, “Wow!” or “Beautiful,” or give a person pause.
I am reminded of this aspect of words when considering of the importance of communication – for any reason. I am communicating right now – through my blog – in the hopes of telling you a story, however brief, that will make you say, “Gee, I never thought of that before.” And, just because it is in my personality and, quite frankly, I can’t help myself, I always like to throw in something to make you smile or possibly solicit an LOL.
When I tell people why we need to be prepared for emergencies, I carefully choose my words. Words can act like clubs, a tap on a shoulder, or even a tickle. They make the difference of inviting a reader, or turning them off, so it is important that you know how to use them to your advantage.
They are powerful stuff, those words, so choose carefully. Go Words!
Monday, May 2, 2011
A Community that Plans Together...
...Survives together. This weekend I was reminded of the importance of community. Not that I had really forgotten. I have been a member of the North Orange County League of Women Voters for years and they represent the ultimate in community activism and participation in those political activities that make a difference to your every day life. This weekend, however, I finished the last segment of a CERT (Community Emergency Response Team) course offered by the cities of Brea and Placentia. The concept is simple – give ordinary citizens some basic skills in emergency response so that they can be valuable resources in times of crisis.
When I looked around at my fellow students, I felt some really deep satisfaction. These are people who live in my city, perhaps close by, and are willing to pitch in and help themselves and others around them when the time comes. Now WHEN that time comes, is never known, but when it DOES come, they have a leg up on how to make the best of it.
In some ways, it was more like a fun family reunion for that final day than something that takes away eight hours of a Saturday. We watched an interesting video on the miraculous survival of that 1989 plane crash in Iowa (all due to PRACTICING for a disaster!), then participated in a hands-on exercise to find “victims” of an earthquake, triage and rescue them. And, just like all authentic family get-togethers, we had a delicious potluck, an amazing array of great food, courtesy of us CERT students.
And this is how communities survive. We learn important things, we plan and practice, we communicate and share things (especially food!) – all of which builds a community capable of assembling itself in times of disaster.
It’s a great comfort knowing that there are other like-minded people in my neighborhood, who, regardless of their physical abilities, are mentally prepared to be there and help me when I need it most.
Thank you, neighbor.
When I looked around at my fellow students, I felt some really deep satisfaction. These are people who live in my city, perhaps close by, and are willing to pitch in and help themselves and others around them when the time comes. Now WHEN that time comes, is never known, but when it DOES come, they have a leg up on how to make the best of it.
In some ways, it was more like a fun family reunion for that final day than something that takes away eight hours of a Saturday. We watched an interesting video on the miraculous survival of that 1989 plane crash in Iowa (all due to PRACTICING for a disaster!), then participated in a hands-on exercise to find “victims” of an earthquake, triage and rescue them. And, just like all authentic family get-togethers, we had a delicious potluck, an amazing array of great food, courtesy of us CERT students.
And this is how communities survive. We learn important things, we plan and practice, we communicate and share things (especially food!) – all of which builds a community capable of assembling itself in times of disaster.
It’s a great comfort knowing that there are other like-minded people in my neighborhood, who, regardless of their physical abilities, are mentally prepared to be there and help me when I need it most.
Thank you, neighbor.
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