Are you ready?

One thing that could be missing from your disaster preparedness plan

Welcome to a new week!

As I am writing this post, “Are you ready?” is the question of the day.

Everyone is asking each other this question via text, in the elevator, the parking lot, the store...

Hurricane Hilary is making its way to Southern California. I live in San Diego where it could be the city’s wettest tropical system in our recorded history (which goes back to 1850). Kinda crazy!

Needless to say, we are getting ready.

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LESSONS

I have lived through several natural disasters over the course of my lifetime - earthquakes, fires, floods. We even had a large Douglas Fir tree fall on our house during a wind storm in the middle of the night when I was little.

But, the first time I really had to face the idea of losing everything was during the Harmony Grove Fire in San Diego back in 1996. We had to pack up our 3-year-old daughter, our cat + a few belongings to wait out a firestorm.

I remember that night mentally processing the fact that our house might not be there when we returned.

Several houses burned to the ground that night, but not ours.

Since that time, we have been evacuated two other times due to fires. Each time, we get a little better at preparing.

I have to say though - living most of my life in California - I have NEVER had to prepare for a hurricane or tropical storm.

It’s crazy, right? Fires in Maui? Tropical storm coming to our coastal desert climate?

It’s one thing to prepare for the likely, but an entirely different thing to prepare for the unexpected.

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STUFF

They say the best way to ensure it doesn’t rain is to carry your umbrella. It’s funny how true that is.

It’s never the things we are actually prepared for that happen. It’s always the one thing we didn’t expect.

In 2019, we moved from our 3BR/3BA house into a 1BR apartment in a high-rise. It was a huge down-size for us. We went through every belonging we had. Every memento we had saved. Every knick-knack.

We treated it like a “Swedish Death Cleaning” (a method of getting rid of stuff neither you nor your family need after you pass away).

It wasn’t easy, but it WAS cathartic.

You don’t realize how much stuff you collect over the years + how much meaning you place on items until you go through a process like this or a disaster comes along + does it for you.

Within the first year of living in our brand-new high-rise building, our apartment was flooded + we were evacuated. That was when I first realized just how freeing it felt to not be attached to any of our ‘stuff’. It was a disruptive event for sure, but I didn’t have that feeling of concern about losing anything.

I am SO grateful to get to experience this feeling at such a young age. We are down to the bare-bones + there really is no strong attachment to anything we own.

It definitely makes disaster preparedness a bit easier. We haven’t collected art or items of high value. It’s pretty easy to lock the door + walk away.

Except for one thing…

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PEOPLE

I have always said that neighbors are some of the most important people in your life. They truly are - because when a disaster happens, it’s the people nearest to you that matter the most.

Nothing brings a community together more than a natural disaster.

We have all witnessed this - on both small + large scales.

Watching people come together to support the people in Maui these last few weeks has been a good reminder.

I am also witnessing this here in my building over the last few days. We have a text thread of 14 neighbors sharing tips + asking questions as we all try to figure out how to prepare for a weather event that has never happened in a building that has only been around a few years.

It’s pretty cool to have this network. These connections.

We tend to think of our closest friends + families at times of emergency, but in the case of natural disasters, knowing your neighbors can be a lifesaver.

Think about it.

They are the closest to you.

Whether they are your friends or not doesn’t matter. In an emergency, you’re going to need each other. So, making an effort to connect with them is important.

If you don’t know your neighbors, I highly encourage you to put some effort into those relationships.

Ever since we bought our first home, we have put a very deliberate effort into building a community around us. Knowing our neighbors. Building friendships. Creating shared traditions. It’s something that has brought so much richness to my life + something I feel has contributed greatly to my health + wellness.

Our relationships with family, friends, coworkers, and community members can have a major impact on our health and well-being. When people are socially connected and have stable and supportive relationships, they are more likely to make healthy choices and to have better mental and physical health outcomes. (CDC)

Social capital is one of the greatest investments you can make. It improves not only your daily life + mental well-being, but your confidence + resilience in the face of disaster.

And, you don’t have to wait for a disaster to start preparing. You can start investing now.

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YOUR MISSION:

This week, I challenge you to do something nice for a neighbor. Share some extra food. Drop off a special treat. Bring in their trash bins. If you haven’t met yet, introduce yourself. Exchange phone numbers. If you don’t have neighbors nearby, there are still great ways to connect with people in your community. So, make the effort to do one small thing for someone this week. It will feel good for you, them + for that time somewhere down the line when you need each other.

Are you ready?

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RESOURCES:

• READ: How Does Social Connectedness Affect Health? | CDC

• READ: What is Social Capital? | Investopedia

• READ: Swedish Death Cleaning | NBC

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IN SUMMARY:

Well, I’m off to wait out this storm with my neighbors.

See you next week?

You can learn more about my work on my website or follow along with me on Instagram @itMayBeMenopause

Meanwhile - you can read thru the archives here. And, please reach out to me anytime!

Email: karen@itmaybemenopause.com
Instagram: @itmaybemenopause

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