Be Prepared

In light of recent snow events slamming the upper plains, preparedness is a word flashed on every weather show and related media. We get cutesy little charts with checklists for travel preparedness, home preparedness and I've-got-to-be-outside preparedness. Video clips share all the disasters that can happen if you are not raking the snow off your roof, digging out your fire hydrant, checking your gas thingy on the outside of your house, and shoveling snow with your back rather than your knees.

Frankly, it makes one wonder how folks ever survived in this area before we were told all the things we needed to do for pending disasters. Early settlers somehow made it through the same weather disasters without checklists from the weather channel. Certainly, there were deaths and injuries during those times, but I don't think it was for lack of a chart or a preparedness list. My guess is they relied on something called common sense. Many also used the other skill they had and that was problem-solving as though no one was going to be able to come to their rescue.

My Grandma B. endured many hardships during her years on the upper plains. She came from the Netherlands on a ship when she was two years old and her parents settled in this area. They didn't understand the language or the harshness of the land. But they made it work. Later on, as a wife and mother during the incredibly gruesome Dust Bowl years, she persevered and made sure the family always had some sort of food on the table and the floor was as clean as possible with dirt silting into the house at a steady rate. She did all this without television, regular phone service, electricity and reliable cars.

Grandma B. never talked about those days to us and I regret I never collected her stories. I suspect she would just say, "Yep. Those were rough times but we made it through. Now, let me show you something fun I got out of a cereal box this morning." She was always a kid at heart.

One particular moment I remember is when I saw her using her left hand to write on a pad of paper. I knew she was right-handed so I asked her why she was doing something that looked a little arduous to me. She responded, "Oh, I like to practice writing with my left hand so I am prepared, just in case I injure my right hand." I shrugged it off and chalked it up to a slightly quirky grandma. She was the grandma who served us Kool-Aid without sugar and called it nectar. Enough said.

It is clear that generations before us figured out how to survive. The gadgets were few, the communication pathways were limited, computers were not even a word and danger was ever present. Hats off to them.

Here is my preparedness list for you, no guarantee it will save you in a life-threatening situation.

1) Be Responsible for Yourself

2) Use Your Head

3) Help Others

4) Always, Always Carry a Snack

And just one more reminder. If you are blessed enough to have grandparents and parents still with you, take the time to ask them a few questions. A good story in your back pocket always comes in handy.