Planning Four Rows Deep and Four Columns Wide

Preparing for an emergency requires all sorts of unpleasant ideas like forethought, discipline, self-control and persistence. All kidding aside, our vigilance to protect our family and our property is fundamental to building a solid foundation on which to grow our lives and happiness. When we must replace, revamp, and recapture the tools and resources we have already acquired, we are behind the curve.  Preparation can save lives, money, resources, heartache, time and momentum in our lives, both in disasters and everyday.

We've shared already about PACE planning, having a Primary, Alternate, Contingency and Emergency plan for large and small functions in your home and life.  Whether it's making a phone call, opening a can or getting out of town, you need to have more than one plan in place to stay safe and sound.  PACE means that you
plan and provide resources to meet your needs four layers deep.

But I want to talk about another dimension in planning to preserve resources.  Provided that you have the discipline and persistence, your emergency preparations can become a storehouse of resources for your everyday life.  Discipline, however, requires you to immediately replace used supplies. I go to my disaster kit to solve life's everyday problems, as well as bigger disasters.  Creating plans and resources can save you in disasters and everyday.  Here are a few examples:

• I carry a tiny flashlight in my purse all the time.  Yes, I've been in the depths of a Las Vegas convention center when the power went out.  But I've also needed to see where I dropped my earring in the grass at the Fourth of July fireworks display.
• I keep a few easy and shelf stable dinners in my pantry all the time.  Yes, I've calmly phoned my husband (who 700 miles away) during a power outage while making Curried Pumpkin Soup from pantry provisions.  But I've also thrown together waffles, syrup, and fruit in ten minutes when soccer practice went way late.
• My family uses texting as our primary disaster communication method.  Yes, when were separated in the midst of the storm, my kids knew to text me with important messages (that they were ok and there was no power).  But we also convey everyday messages reliably through texting, giving me a written reference for my busy, fast paced schedule. (My kids and I do talk face to face all the time, lest you worry I'm raising my kids via cell phone.)

And within each of these examples could be many other more common uses for these items.  Each emergency plan, every disaster resource, and all the parts of your communication plan just might help you in your everyday life, as well as during a true crisis.  As the immediate needs grow and the circumstances become increasingly formidable, you will rely more and more on your planning and provision.  So make you plan deep and wide to protect you everywhere, everyday, and in every way.