- Here's the thing. Disasters will come and disasters will go, but we never know when they are coming. If you want to be prepared, you stock your cupboards and your pantries and you keep extra supplies on hand and you shop at the first inclement weather report and blah blah blah... but if you are like me, you generally don't buy into the hype, you figure you can always make do with what's in your freezer, and there is no need to panic. It rarely lasts more than a few hours, and if you can't make it a few hours without the first-world comforts, well, then. Well.
- Our area recently experienced a hurricane. The day of the hurricane, I hurriedly did my laundry and dishes, thinking that if the power went out, I didn't want to be without water. At the time, I thought to myself - if I kept up with this stuff, I wouldn't have to do it in a hurry when the weather gets really bad.
- After the hurricane, we were slammed with a really nasty tropical storm. Since our rivers were already high from the hurricane, we have been completely overwhelmed with water and there is flooding (devastating flooding) everywhere. Families were evacuated to shelters throughout the area, some as a precautionary measure and some because well, the places they call home aren't even livable anymore. We had a family come and stay with us, and again I was kicking myself for not having grocery shopped or kept up with my laundry, because now I had no (decent) food to offer this family, and the sheets for their air mattress were in the dirty laundry. I also had to hurry up and do dishes so that my kitchen wasn't a wreck when they arrived, which took away from my ability to help Josh get the rooms ready.
- You'd think I would have learned, but... another family was flooded and needed air mattresses and sheets to sleep on in an apartment they have been able to rent. I quickly packed ours up, but ... the pillowcases weren't clean. I had to short them a pillowcase because it was in the wash. Again, kicking myself.
- Today I brought a pizza to a family who has been digging themselves out of muddy floody messes for days. I had the boys with me, so I wasn't able to help clean, but I stopped by with some drinks and pizza and cups and plates, etc. I was, once again, kicking myself for not having gone to the ATM to make sure I had a little cash on me, and ended up paying for the pizza with my debit card. Not a huge deal at all, but I prefer to pay cash, and it's just another example of me flying by the seat of my pants. All the time.
The thing is, I'm generally a fly-by-the-seat-of-my-pants kind of person, and often, I like that about myself. I try not to let my feathers get too ruffled over the little things. I am the one who is always telling Josh to relax about stuff, saying "We'll figure it out, it doesn't have to be a big deal..." and I think that is true. But honestly? A little basic preparedness would have been helpful over the past week or so. I'm not one to keep my laundry folded, and I don't think it makes me a lousy person... BUT, if one's laundry is always folded, she never finds herself unable to let a needy person use her home for a day or two.
- One more thought: dealing with other people's children makes you love your own even more. Other people's kids can be exhausting. My theory is, we parent out of our kids the things that annoy us most, but we aren't all bothered by the same things! Plus, it is different when you are "living" with another family vs. watching a few kids for a few hours. I love my boys, and without listing specific behaviors, I love what I can expect of them. They are such lovable kids (to me!!).
Smooooooch, Benny and Matty. Big kisses for you boys. :)
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