Preparedness

Being prepared sometimes seems like a lot of work for nothing.  But being unprepared is a lot like being caught with your pants down.  And no one wants that.  I am usually one to think I can just do it later.  That I will have time to do it later.  I am an expert at procrastination.

not my pic... found it in a google search

Due to the current political tensions in the country where I am living I have been forced to become a lot more prepared for situations I would rather not.  {If you have no clue what I am talking about then you need to pay attention to the news A LOT more.  It never hurts to be aware of more than your own world's small bubble. CNN}  Part of this preparedness includes making sure I have all my important documents in one place that are easy to grab, and that I have my clothes and some money in a bag ready to go.  I have identified any personal effects or high value items I can't leave behind are easy to be packed or already packed.  If something bad happens I don't know how much time I have to go to a safe location and so I have no choice but to be ready.

One part of being prepared in a military household is being able to do what you need to do without much information.  If the shit hits the fan you may not be able to rely upon the phones or the internet to communicate because 1) who knows who is listening and 2) they may not be working.  For part one, in our household we have discussed code phrases that mean something special to us.  I know if I get a message from my husband with this content what to do.  Regardless if you are in an environment that is as tense as I am right now, or not, having code phrases to convey to your loved ones is very important.  This could even be for something as simple as you are feeling stressed out and need a little more TLC than normal and not just reparations for well, whatever the hell this is as I type.

A few code word/phrase tips.

• If you want to come up with a good emergency code word/phrase it should be real words, not gibberish, if you are really trying to tell someone that the shit is hitting the fan without alerting the whole world about it then speaking in tongues is not a way to not alert others.  
• You want to use words that you don't use in regular conversation so that you don't send out the alert when you aren't meaning to alert.  I really like the word Rhombus.  It is fun to say and even though I get to say it more often than others as a Math Teacher you don't really hear it used in regular conversation.  
• Lastly, you need to talk with your loved ones about the code phrase so that they will know what the heck you mean when you say it.  Let's face it.  If you are chanting like a crazy person about a rhombus and you are the only one who really knows what you mean you aren't accomplishing anything.

The moral of the story is get prepared.  Whatever it is you have been putting off getting prepared for, earthquakes, winter storms, car trouble, get it together.  There is a time when it is too late and that is when you will have wished you had taken an hour to get ready.