Absence of Fear

My friend woke up from a dream recently. It was a dream that we had a national disaster, like an earthquake, here in Salt Lake. She was woken up and a voice said that she wasn't prepared. She went back to sleep and dreamed about people not having clean water, food or shelter. She woke up again and was told she wasn't prepared. She went back to sleep and was woken a third time and told to get prepared now before the month was over. The next day she did.

She related this experience to me and it made me think very seriously about if I am prepared. What if an earthquake happened in the next month? We have always been told there will some day be a crazy big earthquake here in Utah. That we are overdue, etc. So what if it did? Do I have enough water if nothing were coming out of my tap? Do I have enough food? Stuff for first-aide? Warm clothing? Shelter? If I were in my car, would I have what I would need? Would I have enough chocolate? That actually crossed my mind :).

I am not a gloom and doom person. Never really have been. I think that everything ends up working for our good, if you will. But I would like to have water, and food and warm stuff. I would like to be able to bandage something if I were hurt or someone else were hurt. I would like to have some chocolate on hand, maybe a card game or two if we had to wait for awhile. I would like to be around people I love. I would like my family to be ok. My sister's dogs to have enough food and water. My nieces and nephews to be warm and ok. What if I were at work? I actually have a 72 hour kit, a sleeping bag, tent, tarp and some blankets in my car. I think I will put in a couple jugs of water.

So I don't know. Maybe something will happen. Maybe not. But I keep feeling like it is time for me to really crack down and get what I need to feel prepared. Now, I have been feeling like that for awhile, but the urgency inside of me changed this week. Instead of thinking oh I will do that next month... It is I had better do that this weekend. If a disaster is going to happen, I want it to be an adventure not...well...a disaster.

My roomaties and I are actually going to go around to our neighbors and ask them if they have stored water and at least some food. That isn't too overwhelming to get if you don't have it. Some jugs of water for each person, and maybe a case of canned food you could eat.

The American Red Cross recommends you keep these on hand in this order of priority.

WATER | FOOD
FIRST AID | TOOLS, SUPPLIES | SANITATION
CLOTHES, BEDDING | DOCUMENTS

more details here

The picture is a wake-up call for me. But just a wake-up call. Yup, that could happen. Ok. We will just take it as it comes. Ok. Life will go on. Ok. People might die. Ok. You might die. Ok. Maybe nothing will happen. Ok.

There is a song by Jewel called Absence of Fear. It strikes home. Fear and worry can be useful for me when they incite a change. When I just sit in them, they only bind me. This image for some reason is full of absence of fear for me. Looking to the golden horizon. Prepared. Centered. Anchored. Powerful. It really is going to all be alright.