A Mother's Sorrow

Being a mother forever changes you.  You can’t hear stories of children being harmed without feeling some actual pain yourself.  Such is the case today.  Today in Kabul, some young children were killed who were regulars at a local skate park, a place where the only thing that happens there are shouts of laughter, tricks on a skateboard and some skinned knees.  I can envision them, as children anywhere, at a skate park, having fun.  Something my children could do.  But after today, some of those voices are forever gone from the park.

[Read about it:  http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2012/09/10/160900192/kabuls-first-skate-park-suffers-tragic-loss-in-weekend-attack?ft=1&f=1001]

On some level, this is the expectation of a civil-war-torn country, where a group of people is singly-focused on their cause and seem to forget that it is the sons and daughters and fathers and mothers who pay the price.  Or, so it seems to me.  But all I can think of is how their mothers feel, how I would feel, to lose my children so tragically.

So, today, just a brief blog.  A moment of silence for this loss and for so many others who fall innocently to senseless acts.

There is just no way to prepare for this… Just a deep hope that someday it can stop.  As a mother, as a person on planet Earth, I truly hope so.

There's no place like home

Dorothy had to fly, via Whirl Wind Air, I might add, all the way to Oz to realize this.  However, as the Back To School sales pop up everywhere and the once wide-open parking lots begin to fill, we realize that it is that time of year again and that home, the summer hub of activity, changes once again.

Home is where your heart is, where you hang your hat, or any other phrases coined in prose and song.   However, even with its changing titles and roles throughout your life, it is a constant for many.  It’s the place that children drift back to or old friends gather.  Even if it is temporary, such as an apartment or dorm, it is our place of refuge.

Given its esteem, the home should have the honor of being the best place to be should something happen that disrupts the normal.  It could be something fleeting, such as a heavy rain storm, or longer term, such as an extended illness.  Regardless of that unforeseen event, whatever you call home needs to be ready to hold and secure you.

If you live in southern California, the two biggest worries (I should think) would be fire and earthquakes.  Sure, there is that 100-year flood scenario or the more localized, but heart-breaking shooting incidents, but with our seemingly more frequent periods of drought and the San Andreas Fault statistically “ready” to give a good shake, fire and earthquakes are really what we should prepare for.  And when I say “prepare for” I am focusing today on the home.

If one of those events happens and you are not at home, what do you worry about?  Home, of course.  There is no magic bubble to surround your home, although honestly I have not looked at the latest Hammacher Schlemmer catalog..., so you need to do what you can do.  Prepare your home for disasters.

The steps are simple.  Make a list, make a plan, get the stuff, store the stuff, let important people know your plan.  Sure, it will take some time, but the tradeoff is worth it.  Envision – a major earthquake hits and you are at work.  Will you be anxious about your home?  Of course.  But, if you are prepared at home, you will have things set in place to take care of your home and your loved ones.  You will have given a trusty neighbor a key to check your pets.  You will have a plan for where your children will go after school.  You will have a neighborhood plan to shut off your gas line if they smell gas at your meter.  Everyone in your family will have Aunt Bertha’s phone number to call, so she can keep track of everyone.

It’s simple really.  And if you are not convinced, just click your heals 3 times.  I know it works.

Black Friday and Cyber Monday – How about Prepare Wednesday?

We have officially moved into the biggest shopping time of the year. The rules have changed – you get sneak peaks at Black Friday ads for practically every store a full week before rather than waiting for Thursday’s paper, which has 3 times more ads than newspaper itself – but essentially it boils down to the same. Get ready to buy something!

Some things have alarmingly gone awry over the years. For example, I used to get up at 6 am to get to the stores by 7 am (gasp!), but this year some stores didn’t even pause long enough to sweep the floors before starting in again. Gone is open at 3 am – now it’s “Open at midnight!” And along with this craziness is the inevitable... people go crazy. Most notable is the pepper-spraying incident at a southern California Wal-Mart. In case you missed it, apparently a woman was a bit possessive over an electronic game and was willing to use a little unfair offense to get it. Wal-Mart is a place in my opinion that has its own issues (don’t get me started...), but the point is that we have taken things a little too crazy!

My proposal is Prepare Wednesday. The timing is right, too. Prepare on Wednesday for all the food you will eat (and suffer for) on Thursday. Prepare on Wednesday for shopping on Friday, which depends on which store you shop and when. Prepare on Wednesday for something you don’t know is coming, like an earthquake or fire.

So while you are wheeling around stores snapping up unbelievable deals on stuff you may never possibly want or need, toss a couple more things in that cart you can use. Maybe a new flashlight and an extra pack of batteries. There are newer, cooler, crank-type radios coming out all the time. And how about an extra blanket? Grab a couple of those door-busters and toss in your Home or Car Preparedness Kit. See some comfy shoes that may not be stylish, but are cheap? Get those, too!

All the crazy shopping may still be crazy, but it can be worthwhile if you plan it right. Just keep focused on what you really need, have fun and leave the pepper spray at home.