Do We Wait for Things to Get Better or Do We Prep?
What is Your Gut Telling You?
There has been an undercurrent of anxiety in the U.S. since the 2020 COVID outbreak. It continues.
Although people seem to have forgotten about COVID, at least for the time being, they still struggle with anxiety. Americans aren’t comfortable with anxious feelings. They don’t know how to sit with it long enough to identify their options.
We are facing a few daunting problems, however.
Last night, my region was hit by a severe storm. Torrential rains and lots of lightning with up to 98-mile winds left a trail of debris and power outages in the wake.
The photos of the damages in different neighborhoods began to pop up all over FaceBook. My house was largely unscathed. Many less fortunate people, however, will be without power for several days.
As though that isn’t bad enough, we’re also enduring an evil heat wave.
I mean hotter than Hades. To live without air conditioning whenever it tops 100 degrees with high humidity is cruel and unusual punishment. Maybe it’s just me, but it seems as though we have only two weather choices on the menu these days — floods or drought and nothing in between.
Another worry that is keeping us anxious is soaring prices.
We fluctuate between buying an over-priced item and trying to find the desired item in stock. When we find it, we tend to overcompensate by buying more than we need even if it’s over-priced, because we might not be able to find it on the shelves again next week. This creates a strange feeling that once again makes us very uncomfortable.
Americans aren’t accustomed to not finding what they need on the shelves.
We’ve been dealing with a lot of uncertainty. We don’t know whether to wait and hope for the best or begin prepping for the worst-case scenario.
I think that’s the bottom line. What should we do?
I decided to prep. No, I didn’t build a bunker, but I have taken some steps to make it easier if my house loses power or I can’t find things on the supermarket shelves.
I purchased an inverter gas generator as well as an EcoFlow portable power station.
I also have several cords of dry wood for my fireplace. I have a small chest freezer and a well-stocked pantry. So as not to waste food, I developed a 90-day-food plan centered around a dozen favorite meals. I rotate the ingredients within the pantry from oldest to newest. Cooking is easy on my dependable gas stove.
I have purchased light bulbs for the whole house that charge while in use. If the power goes out, my lights run for about four hours.
My EcoFlow keeps the freezer running, charges cell phones, lights, runs a small fan and other appliances. The gas generator charges my EcoFlow in less than an hour. I have the fireplace and a small gas heater for cold weather.
It’s not perfect, but I’m sure I can manage for the duration of a blackout.
I do place more importance on food and shelter these days. Perhaps the past two years have been a wake-up call to Americans. I think my priorities are where they should be. There’s a lot of STUFF that I can live without, but food and shelter aren’t two of them.
Are you prepared for shortages and blackouts? If so, feel free to share your ideas. I’m always interested in improving my backup plan.
Teresa Roberts is a retired educator, author, world traveler, and professional myth buster. You can find her books on Amazon.
