In an emergency, just like the rest of us, you want to be capable of helping or saving as many people as possible. This begins with knowing what an emergency looks like in real time. Most often, the reality is different from what we imagine, or even what we have heard on the news. That’s why these 7 keys are necessary for you to be your own superhero in an emergency. (Please note, I am not a doctor or a first responder. I have been in multiple emergencies and gone to training to be useful in these situations.)

1. Don’t Expect the Cavalry to Show Up (Any Time Soon)

Emergency responders have been trained to help where the need is most dire, and have a priority ranking of what to do/where to go depending on the type of emergency. This includes high-security protocol places like hospitals.

This means that, in a widespread community disaster or emergency involving hundreds of individuals, they will be stretched thin. They will not be showing up to help you immediately, not because they don’t care, but because there is only so much they can do. (They work as hard and fast as they can.)

Your best option is to be your own superhero. Do what you can to be self-reliant. Have your plans in place, know where your emergency preparedness gear is (and how to use it!), and be willing to do the work to help yourself (and your loved ones).

2. Panic Brain Is Real and Illogical

You may believe that you will be able to think clearly in an emergency situation. (I believed this until I was in a situation I had never imagined with my kids. I found out at the worst possible time that I was wrong.)

The only way to override panic brain, which is a real thing and completely illogical, is with forethought and training. This turns into running through situations in your head and how they may play out as worst-case scenarios, or asking experienced individuals what the reality looked like.

 I have found that this is the best way to know how to respond. If you kick into panic or have no idea what to do, panic brain steps in and shuts everything down. There are classes you can take locally, or there are plenty of informative videos on YouTube posted by professionals. Allow yourself, when you are NOT in an emergency, to find out what trained responders do so you can know, too. 

3. Stick to Your Previously Devised Plan! Deviating Can Be Dangerous!

Sticking to the plan is hard. You have a spontaneous thought, a new idea (that has genius written all over it), or a triggered worry that suddenly causes you to want to deviate from your plan.

STICK TO THE PLAN! Plans usually involve others, which means other people are counting on you to follow through. No matter how hard it may be not to deviate, don’t do it!

Deviating can be dangerous, or even life-threatening. Think, every time you see the kid go back for the bear in a movie. (Kids will absolutely do this 100% of the time.) This isn’t the time to be gallivanting off on your own. Do what you said you were going to do.

4. Creating Plan B In Case Your Tech Becomes Useless

Did you know that even if the internet, cell towers, and power don’t go down in a disaster or large-scale emergency, the government can still take control of them? This potentially means that you will not be able to use these networks because emergency officials have stated that they need to have all channels of communication open to essential personnel and decision-makers who need to act quickly.

Phones, computers and other electronic devices are such an integral part of life that you may forget that you won’t have a flashlight or map if you lose the power in your phone. 

Have a Plan B to replace anything you could lose without your tech, like maps, flashlights, walkie-talkies, radios, and a winding watch.

5. Strength Is Knowing What You Know… and What You Don’t

Guilt sucks. So we do what we think is best to help someone out. The problem is, there are things you might not be aware of that could turn your good deed into tragedy. 

For example, when someone is trapped in a collapsed building, there may be more problems than just lifting a beam or slab off of them. Loose wires, balanced debris, or building instability are just a few. 

If you haven’t been trained to help in this situation, things could take a turn for the worse. The best action to take to be a superhero is to do nothing physically. Talk to the person, leave a mark on the spot for responders if you can, and go look for help. Everyone will thank you for thinking on your feet.

6. Avoid Ugly Surprises With The “Quick Physical” Check

Getting clear of imminent danger is only the first step. Once you and others are free of possible additional harm, your next step is to do a quick inspection of everyone to see how they fared. 

Adrenaline rushes and shock can hide a plethora of problems that a simple check can bring to light. You don’t need anything except you to do this. Being checked by a medical professional is ultimately the best policy, but it may have to wait. 

For now, this is what you can do. Gently run your hands over the entire head to check for bumps, cuts, or bruises that could hide bleeding or concussions. Check the eyes to see if pupils are dilated (too big) or if they are pinpoints. This can be a sign of a seizure- not all seizures are shaking. (My daughter’s pupils went to pinpoints and she went stiff as a board.) Put your head to the other person’s chest to listen for liquid in the lungs. If you are alone, try taking 3 deep breaths to see if it’s difficult to breathe. Use your eyes if possible to check the core of the body for bruising or swelling. These are areas to watch for internal bleeding. Check the entire body for wounds or burns. Clothing hides a lot! (Carrying a first aid manual can help with all this, plus remind you of the signs of shock.)

7. Spending Money Now Saves Your Life Later!

I don’t have the money to buy emergency preparedness stuff right now. Has that thought crossed your mind? Because, let’s be honest. You can’t afford to wait!

During Hurricane Katrina, when everyone thought New Orleans was going to weather the storm just fine, people didn’t even evacuate. (Within 72 hours of this disaster, every emergency kit sold out on Amazon!) And Covid taught the world that emergency responses to crises can be swift, inconvenient, and scary.

The more emergency preparedness items you have for both staying closed inside your home or for evacuation, the better off you are in dealing with the situation. Invest in an emergency kit and a first aid kit. Stretch out your purchases if your budget is limited. Test your products, know what to do and how to use everything you have. These items are key to helping make the experience easier. And you won’t regret spending that money!

* * * * *

The world is in chaos these days. World events like earthquakes and hurricanes seem to be happening more frequently, which means that preparing is in your best interest. Having an emergency kit on hand is the norm. Taking some form of first aid or CPR training, or any other emergency training, including practicing evacuation drills with your family, provides peace of mind that you and your family are more likely to get out of an ugly situation. Schedule a class or watch those videos! Be the superhero you would want to have come to save you and your family. You’ll be grateful you put in the work.

Guest Article: Jacob Darke, (High School Student)

A self-driving car floats into the city past robots sweeping the streets as the car tells the passenger that his heart rate is too fast and he needs to calm down.  This is the trajectory for the future. The tech that pervades every day life has become so common that people wouldn’t know what to do without it. Jobs can’t be completed without the use of tech, and it is becoming impossible to go 24 hours without touching some sort of tech. There are those who say that tech is a crutch created for people to avoid doing tasks for themselves, but the three strongest arguments against that stance stem from society’s view of the subject. Those arguments are that machines are tools, tech solutions are created specifically for convenience, and that everyday life has adjusted so much to tech that it is impossible to eradicate it. With each successive tech generation, what starts as convenience turns into dependence.  

Machines are becoming more commonplace tools as researchers work to replace tasks that are dangerous, tedious, or repetitious. Man began creating simple tools in the stone age to aid his lifestyle and make his tasks easier to finish. Humanity might be long past tying rocks to sticks, but the goal of creating tools to make life easier still remains. Making these tools accessible to everyone has also become part of the goal, because it increases the amount of tasks people can complete in a day. For example, in an article by Cathy Seeley, National Council of Teachers of Mathematics President in 2006, she stated that “the question, then, is not whether to use technology, but how to use it in ways that support the mathematics learning of every student.” (Seeley) In order to train children to be more effective by the time they reach the workforce, technology, such as computers, is being used in schools starting in elementary. When basic education needs tech to build the children’s skillsets, those tools are effectively speeding up how fast the children can learn. Referring to the article, 9 Reasons We Can’t Do Without Technology In Our Life Today, “Technology can save lives. Major operations, scans and medical diagnoses happen through scientific and technological discoveries.” (Excelleropen.com)  Doctors can reduce how many problems are created trying to save someone’s life by using machines to get more information before they choose a course of action. These tools also become the common factors which everyone depends on. The tasks replaced by machines have changed how life is lived in the Twenty-First century.

The convenience of time, money, and resources is the driving force behind interest for tech projects. Pew Research Center backs up this claim in an article with survey results from multiple contributors. “An anonymous network CEO wrote, “Even as risks may increase, so long as technology is offering an easier/faster/less-expensive option people on the whole will choose it.” (Rainie; Andersen) There is a random quote from someone anonymous that says, “If you want to find a faster way to do something, give it to a lazy person.” This statement highlights why so many tech advancements have happened. Convenience rules all. In the same article from Pew Research, another anonymous lead field technician said, “People as a rule are lazy and fascinated with gadgets.” (Rainie; Andersen) People want to move faster, feel more accomplished, have shiny new things, and accomplish all of this easily. There is another force behind wanting to advance technology, and that lies in humanity’s desire to create. With curiosity driving the need for convenience, the lure of finding out what can be created pairs with figuring out a solution to a problem. The best way to frustrate people is to slow them down and waste their time, reduce their money, or keep them from having what they want, and tech saves them from that.

Living in 2023 means that everything from education to how clothes are washed depends on tech to make it happen. In the article, 9 Reasons We Can’t Do Without Technology In Our Life Today, it states that “Knowledge and education go hand in hand. Technology has shown us how we can overcome the barriers of time and place with computer and internet.” (Excelleropen.com) Schools use computers and teach online. Some children barely know how to write letters with a pencil, but they can type on a keyboard. People of all ages know how to push buttons to control digital games or to chat with others to keep them busy. The 9 Reasons article also declares that “The Corona virus pandemic has moreover proven the importance of technology in our daily lives. We can use it to stay connected, work, communicate and basically survive. When grocery stores and markets were locked down, technology helped us with our food necessities, too. Those who have managed to save their employment during the pandemic, have done so with the help of technology.” (Excelleropen.com) Clothes are washed in smart machines that determine how long they should be washed for. Safety has young children walking around with cell phones to call their moms. People no longer have fireplaces to heat their food, horses to take them where they want to go, or ways to gather their food. If tech were to be removed from daily life, people would struggle to meet their basic human needs.

The downside to so much convenience and having tech do everything for people is that some fundamental knowledge is being lost. “It is not unnatural that the discovery of any tool modifies the human skill set, or even the wirings in the brain.” (Ramasubbu) This is according to the Huffington Post article, Losing Essential Skills to Technology.  If a young man in college doesn’t know how to wash his own clothes, he must resort to paying someone else to do it or continually buying new clothes. Gen Z has proven that they believe it is more convenient to purchase food than to use a kitchen or microwave. They prefer digital wallets to cash, and even prefer dating apps to meeting someone in person. When the claim is made that tech is a crutch, this can be true. The Huffington Post article points out, however, that “Skills have always been lost in time – we no longer light a fire using flint stones. As long as old skills are replaced by equivalent new ones, we are safe.” (Ramasubbu) The reality is that it is too late to attempt to remove the tech establishing itself in every corner of people’s homes, schools, and workplaces. The resistance that happens when the internet goes down in an area is the perfect example of people’s unwillingness to let go of what they have now. The better solution is to redefine “fundamental” to determine basic needs and outcomes for the current day.

The convenience of tech overshadows the level of dependence people have on it. While most people see current society as technologically advanced, they are technically technologically locked by what they are accustomed to. When major disasters remove access to electricity or the internet, for example, people scramble to adjust to finding other ways to eat, regulate temperature, instigate safety measures, or communicate. The older, simpler ways for answering these needs can still be useful in times like those. The best way to reject being technologically locked is to find balance between what humans do and what machines do. The future that we are heading towards makes that balance unlikely when people are dreaming of sleeping all the way to work in a self-driven pod or speaking to the food generator that instantly creates a full turkey dinner.

Works Cited

Admin. “9 Reasons We Cannot Do without Technology in Our Life Today.” Exceller Open, 23 Jan. 2022, excelleropen.com/9-reasons-we-cannot-do-without-technology-in-our-life-today/#:~:text=We%20can%20use%20it%20to,with%20the%20help%20of%20technology.

Rainie, Lee. “Theme 1: People Crave Connection and Convenience, and a Tech-Linked World Serves Both Goals Well.” Pew Research Center: Internet, Science & Tech, 15 Sept. 2022, http://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2017/06/06/theme-1-people-crave-connection-and-convenience-and-a-tech-linked-world-serves-both-goals-well/.

Ramasubbu, Suren. “Losing Essential Skills to Technology.” HuffPost, 16 Nov. 2016, http://www.huffpost.com/entry/losing-essential-skills-t_b_8577818.

Seeley, Cathy. Technology Is a Tool – National Council of Teachers of Mathematics, http://www.nctm.org/News-and-Calendar/Messages-from-the-President/Archive/Cathy-Seeley/Technology-Is-a-Tool/. Accessed 14 May 2023.

Craft Words That Reflect You

“What is an affirmation statement exactly? And how do you write one that works?”

When a client asks me this, what they are really asking for is permission to state what they want out loud, powerfully and unapologetically.

They are so afraid of using power words and definite statements that there is no meaning, no belief, at all. The words are lackluster and bereft of feeling. This is specifically what the affirmation is meant to combat.

So, how do you craft a soul-inspiring, heart-pumping message to yourself that you are manifesting into existence? Don’t you need confidence? What if it just feels silly? What if you’ve always seen words as your worst enemy?

There is a catch. Affirmations aren’t meant to be mindless phrases you repeat in hopes that the universe will hear you. Affirmations are meant to be guided reminders of your goals, especially if the going gets tough (even in your own head).

Here’s how that looked for me in the beginning. I knew what I wanted, but I didn’t know how to get it. I was scared to trust the process of becoming someone different or believing that I could get the things I wanted. So if I didn’t state what I wanted, I couldn’t be disappointed. Sound familiar?

In my heart, I knew that I was going to have to change what I was doing or be stuck where I was forever. The thought of being trapped in a never-ending cycle that had me working to pay bills, not being able to do what I wanted, wishing for things that would never happen, was frightening. But I still didn’t change. The change came when I ended up in the ICU with Covid. I had everything to lose if I didn’t accept the challenge, and so I subconsciously created my affirmation.

My first affirmation was about those I loved, not myself. It focused on all of the things I wished for them. I love amazing, giving people, whose love is healing me and keeping me from feeling alone. The people I love are strong and healthy, and are living their dreams. They enjoy their best lives and share their abundance with others. The people I love bring me joy. It wasn’t until I had written it that I realized it was about me, as well. Believing these things for them freed me to believe what I wanted to for me.

Start with this—breathe! No one is around to judge you, or your words or needs. If you give yourself some room for error, you’ll find that you have nailed this process in no time. Deciding what to say isn’t about the words at all. It’s about you being willing to state your innermost desires aloud and becoming accountable for them.  

An affirmation has two purposes. The first purpose of the affirmation is to reinforce the beauty already in you and your life in the present. The second purpose is to proclaim your intentions for the future in a way that will help you achieve your chosen success and provide a tantalizing target to keep shooting for. 

Many people write affirmations to feel better or to change their current position. They want to change their outcome, because they don’t want to remain where they’re at. It is natural to want to move forward, because there is so much to experience out of life. Oprah Winfrey, for example, said in an interview for her movie A Wrinkle In Time [Film, 2018], “You have to put it out there… and prepare yourself to meet it when it shows up.”

Here’s what I learned. To make your statement, begin with either I have, I am, or I know. Let your mind wander, and think of all the positive things you can use to answer these starters. I am enough! I have an amazing spouse. I know God is with me. Write down every one you think of.

Write in the present tense. You are telling yourself this is attainable, so putting this in the future tense, I will be vs. I am, gives you subtle permission to put it off. Also, use powerful words that trigger a response in you. Creating a reason to fight for it means you’re more likely to put in the sweat equity to attain it.

Overcome Your Emotional Obstacles

If you get stuck, you may need to remove fear or doubt. Declaring what you don’t want is a strong way to bring it straight to you. The flip side of your “don’t want” can reveal your true “want,” though. I don’t want my son to go away to college might really be I want to have a solid and open relationship with my son. Changing this to an affirmation becomes, I have a solid and open relationship with my son.

There might even be a part of you that can’t believe what it is that you want to say. Disappointment, doubt, fear, guilt, are all belief robbers that keep taking from you. Allow the affirmations you are making to stop these robbers from being able to steal anything else from you. You deserve to be in charge of your own life, to claim your own choices, and to live purposefully in your own story!

It’s not about you being perfect, it’s about finding perfection in what is. This means accepting your life, expressing gratitude, and opening yourself up to growth and abundance both outside and within yourself. Think about what you are willing to do to change. Start as small as you need. My smile makes others smile. Then create a goal to smile at one person every day. Set a positive and open path to your next steps, shaping a meaningful, driven, intentional life for yourself.

The next part is shaping your future. What does your life look like down the road? I have lots of close friends who value me. My relationships are meaningful. My business provides services that improve other people’s lives. I find value in the time I spend with my family. You can even specify in detail what you will work towards. I am an architect with a high-level firm making six figures annually. I am a Junior Vice President a year from now.

You may want to borrow parts or phrases from this post or online to get you started. Just get started! With practice, you’ll learn to take this process and make it your own. Revisiting is encouraged! You will need to reorient your compass every so often, because your needs shift over time and new goals arise as you accomplish old ones.

Deep Dive Into Your Motivation

A powerful affirmation must motivate you to action! For certain people, proclaiming I am enough! loudly and with authority motivates them to BE enough. For others, I enjoy living in my own skin! brings them more clarity. For some, I embrace who I am! speaks their truth, but others may need to say, I am the sum of my experiences, and I forgive and love myself. The only way to change your future is to alter what you are doing in the present. Your affirmation should, as Tony Robbins says, “Get you out of bed in the morning!” Becoming is doing, so your words should excite you to DO!

One powerful way to psychologically focus on what you are calling to you is to speak it aloud. Say it like you mean it! There is power in vocalizing what you want, as research studies have shown. An article on Shine by Martha Tesema said, “Research has shown that talking to yourself out loud can motivate you to move forward with your goals, help you focus on a task at hand, and combat self-criticism.” When you put your thoughts out into the universe, it’s like you are revealing your secrets. The positive side to this is that when you stop treating your desires like secrets, you start acting like they are goals. 

When I began pondering my new affirmations in the hospital, my entire focus changed. I moved from only thinking about trying to breathe to all the wonderful things I imagined my friends and family doing. These were things I wanted to be doing, too, and I decided then that I would be there to do them in the future! I fought my way out of the hospital, and I know it was because I focused on what I was fighting for. I worked on my health goals with more intensity and investment.

The final piece for powerful, motivating affirmations is gratitude. When you see life through the lens of gratitude, appreciating what you have, enjoying the people in your life, there will be more room in your life to give and receive. Be sure to acknowledge the wins, the steps moving you forward, and the things you are grateful for. According to www.health.harvard.edu,  “In positive psychology research, gratitude is strongly and consistently associated with greater happiness. Gratitude helps people feel more positive emotions, relish good experiences, improve their health, deal with adversity, and build strong relationships.”

No one can say what your outcomes will be in the future, but you are guaranteed to get more of what you are already getting if something doesn’t change. Define your health, wealth and relationships for yourself and how you want them to manifest for you. Once you know what you want, decide on your affirmations. Make sure you are plugging in to that, invested, showing up ready to be all in, every day. I challenge you to have the courage to make a difference in your own life. May this lead you to a life of passion, purpose and prosperity.

How Do You Know If These Items Are For YOU?

In the middle of an emergency is the worst time to find out if the gear you have will hold or if everything works! You need to be able to trust that you have everything you need! There’s no time to second-guess yourself when timing is essential. That’s why you planned this all out beforehand. Take it from someone who has trained in emergency preparedness for over 40 years—you need quality products that are easy to use and super durable! (Combine uses, like multi-tools, where you can.)

Want to know what I carry personally? Here are my 18 top-rated products found on Amazon, with links to the ratings and reviews included there. The items are based on the top necessities suggested by FEMA, Ready.Gov, and the American Red Cross. They are sorted by category for convenience!

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Air Quality/Contamination

Dust Mask

According to the CDC, this mask helps with multiple contaminants as well as dust and debris in the air.

Amazon.com: 3M 8511 Respirator, N95, Cool Flow Valve (10-Pack)

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Water

Water

There are various ways to carry water, whether you’re using hydration packs or collapsible canteens. FEMA recommends that you have at least 1 gallon of water with you per person. This alternative provides extra water storage capabilities without the additional water weight!

https://www.amazon.com/stores/WaterStorageCube%C2%AE/page/3901E952-036F-4CBC-98D4-38906B9C6D23?ref_=ast_bln

Straw or Purifier Filters

These have been tested to remove bacteria, protozoa, and microplastics! When you can’t carry enough water or do not know the safety level of the water you have, these lifesavers are reusable indefinitely! Sawyer is top-ranked for having filters that don’t allow the water to carve a path through the filter that reduces the filtration process. The filters are able to be cleaned, and they maintain the highest removal rates.

Sawyer Products MINI Water Filtration System

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Food

High-End Option Example:

These taste amazing, and the bread doesn’t get soggy!

Amazon.com: Bridgford Honey BBQ Chicken MRE Survival Food Storage Ready To Eat Meals – 3 Pack : Sports & Outdoors

Easy To Transport, Lightweight:

Entrees

FEMA recommends a manual can opener. For staying home, this option works. If you have to evacuate, the weight of cans and a can opener should only be a last resort. There are plenty of portable food options already created for hikers and campers. One last note: dehydrated food requires extra water! Keep this in mind if you use dehydrated or freeze-dried options! High-end options must be replaced more frequently, but taste great! If you try Wise or Mountain House or other hiker brands, TRY THE FOOD FIRST! Emergencies are the worst time to find out you hate the taste or have allergies.

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Shelter

Shelter-In

Plastic Sheeting and Duct Tape (for covering windows and doors/doorways)

Evacuate

One-man or two-man tents or hammocks are light, portable options. (Your options depend on the area you are in.) ALPS is a highly dependable brand. When checking your tent, be sure to check poles and seams to be sure they are strong enough to do what they are meant to do in any weather.

ALPS Mountaineering Helix Tent

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Medical

Prescriptions and OTC Medication

Talk to your doctor about what you would need in an emergency if you couldn’t reach them or a pharmacist.

Alert Bracelet/Necklace/Card

This is an essential for anyone with health issues from penicillin or latex allergies to Autism or Anxiety (and a penchant for panic attacks).

First Aid Kit

Two important points about choosing a first aid kit. 1—Be sure you know how to USE everything in your kit. 2—Don’t be deceived by the number of items included in a ready-made kit! 100 tiny bandages won’t be as useful as you hope. Check for items like cold presses, scissors, instructions, and alcohol pads. (I would add sharp tweezers from makeup companies like Revlon, because they are well-made, tight, and have a grip that can get any sliver or stinger!)

Amazon.com: First Aid Only 298 Piece All-Purpose First Aid Emergency Kit

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Light/Heat

Matches/Flint and Steel

Good old-fashioned fire, as long as it’s used safely and properly, is always a great fall back. 

eGreen Fire Starter Magnesium 6 Bags 99% Ferro Rods Striker 14 in 1 Tool or Weatherproof Matches Collapsible Campfire Blower Saw Wire Wax Jute Rope Free Tin Box

Flashlights

There are so many options for flashlights, from lanterns that can hang on your belt or backpack to headlamps, that your choice really depends on why you need it and how you intend to use it. There are even sturdy, solar-powered flashlights. But this hands-free, bright and focused neck light is my favorite!

Amazon.com : CAT Merchandise CT7100 200 Lumens Bright LED Hands-Free Neck Light, Multicoloured, one Size

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Clothing/Warmth

Emergency Blanket Poncho

A new take on the typical emergency blanket! If you want to double up your poncho with your blanket, this will keep you even warmer in the frigid rain!

Emergency Blankets & Rain Poncho Hybrid Survival Gear and Equipment – Tough, Waterproof Camping Gear Outdoor Blanket – Retains 90% of Heat + Reflective Side for Increased Visibility – 4 Pack (Green)

Sleeping Bag

Finding compact sleeping bags usually means they are thinner (so they can’t handle low temperatures), or they take up a lot of room. This area takes a lot of research and then testing. For a detailed look at understanding sleeping bags, read the following: https://www.backpacker.com/gear-item/sleeping-bag-buying-guide/.

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Tools/Weapons/Defense

Multitools

FEMA recommends a wrench or pliers for turning off utilities. Multitools are priceless, and a knife is an essential. Gerber and Leatherman are tried and true, trusted brands for making sturdy, long-lasting tools.

Gerber Gear 30-001364N Suspension-NXT, 15-in-1 Multitool Knife, Needle Nose Pliers Pocket Knife with Pocket Clip, EDC Gear, Steel – – Amazon.com

Combine tools like a shovel, ax, saw and hammer to make them travel-friendly.

Amazon.com : PATHWAY NORTH Survival Shovel and Camping Axe – Stainless Steel Multi-Tool and Survival Hatchet Equipment for Outdoor, Hiking, Hunting, Emergency, Backpacking

Knife

This Smith and Wesson is a trusted brand, and affordable, too!

Amazon.com : Smith & Wesson Extreme Ops SWA24S 7.1in SS Folding Knife with 3.1in Serrated Clip Point Blade and Aluminum Handle for Outdoor, Tactical, Survival and EDC

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Communication

Battery-Powered or Hand-Crank Radio with a NOAA Weather Radio with Tone Alert

Many emergency radios come with extra features, and let’s be honest. An extra flashlight or charging station never hurts! Be sure to choose a model that’s rugged and can pick up both AM and FM. This will be one of the best ways to get crucial information about what is going on and about any rescue, government or evacuation procedures.

Amazon.com: FosPower 2000mAh NOAA Emergency Weather Radio (Model A1) Portable Power Bank with Solar Charging, Hand Crank & Battery Operated, SOS Alarm, AM/FM & LED Flashlight for Outdoor Emergency

Cell Phones

FEMA recommends grabbing cell phones and their chargers.

Whistle

Choose a whistle that has a pitch that will carry over distances. You want to make sure you can be heard.

HyperWhistle The Original Worlds Loudest Whistle up to 142db Loud, Very Long Range, for Referee, Coaches, Instructors, Sports, Teachers, Life Guard, Self Defense, Survival, Emergency uses

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Power

Solar Cells

Portable Solar Cells are the new go-to. Extra batteries work for existing items you may have, but if you have a portable solar cell (that you have TESTED first), you have a consistent way to charge phones, radios, or anything else you can plug in to it. Solar-powered flashlights and radios are also recommended. Be sure to read the reviews and then do your own testing. (Note: Goal Zero is more expensive, but I have found them to be the most dependable over time. Whatever brand you choose, make sure it will last for years.)

Amazon.com : Goal Zero Nomad 7 Plus Solar Panel Recharger, Nomad 7 Plus

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Sanitation

Ready.Gov suggests moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties for personal sanitation. You must dig an 8” hole to bury human waste, so this can be an easier alternative.

Amazon.com : RESTOP 2 – Portable Toilet Solid (Poop) and Liquid (Pee) Leak Proof Waste Bag – Toilet Paper and Wet Wipe Included : Sports & Outdoors

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Entertainment

Travel-Size Games, Books, or Puzzles, or a Favorite Bear/Doll

FEMA suggests having ways to pass the time to keep you and your family calm and distracted. Try to choose reusable items, and if multiple people can use them simultaneously, even better!

https://www.amazon.com/stores/Gamie/page/19939182-1A3F-4CB6-AF6E-82403CD2C0B9?ref_=ast_bln

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Travel

Local Maps

Do not depend on digital access. These need to be local and hardcopy for reference!

Compass

A simple compass to tell you which way north is can help in a forest on a cloudy day, during storms, or just because you might be tired and easily confused.

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Additional MUST-Mentions

·         Sturdy Backpack/Bag; must be durable and able to hold items well, plus fit the person hauling the bag

·         Waterproof pouches/containers to hold everything from cell phones to toilet paper

·         Copies of Important Personal Documents

·         Family/Emergency Contact Information

·         Extra Cash

·         Customized Supplies For Pets/Kids, Specialized Needs

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Write down what it takes to run yourself or your family for 1 month. How much toilet paper do you use? How much water do you average? What are things you never touch? Are there favorite items you need to have on hand to help kids/pets have peace of mind? Customize your needs through the lens of your average day.

Remember! The key is to open everything to examine and test it before it gets packed in the bag! Make sure everything has batteries, is compact and protected, and can be comfortably carried. Customize your essentials to each family member, including removing items that don’t make sense for you. Make sure that everyone knows how to use the items in their bags. Keep your items updated, changing them out every 6 months (like clothing). Taking the time to prepare and plan now makes the difference for how you tackle future emergencies!

(For more information on how your community has prepared for community or national emergencies, visit your local or state agency’s emergency preparedness department by typing in “(your area) Government Readiness”.)

FOMO. Fear of missing out. 

I’m pretty sure that’s been around since the dawn of man, but it has finally become front and center to be acknowledged as a force to be reckoned with. Whether subtly worming its way through your psyche or running through you like a bullet train, FOMO can course-change your decisions… usually for the worse. 

That’s why I’m sharing the 10 secrets I learned raising my own children that freed them (and me) from FOMO. 

1. Understand Your Fear of the Unknown

FOMO is a reaction to the unknown. Our reactions to conflicts or surprise situations are the examples our kids follow. Whether we analyze, panic, attract drama, run or stand and fight, our actions determine their outcomes. 

I was more likely to hide from the unknown than embrace it. But I wanted my kids to charge in headfirst, ready to find out what’s around the corner and be optimistic. I wanted their attitudes to find out the whole picture before jumping to immediate judgement. What we discovered together is how to trust your inner thermometer. If they are dreading something, I don’t make them go. If they aren’t up to it, they won’t have fun.

They participate when it feels right because of a saying in our home. You won’t know if you don’t try it once. Curiosity and optimism kill FOMO because there’s no room for regret. When you are willing to explore, you’re looking to see what’s next, taking the plunge, instead of allowing fear to stop you from your next adventure.

2. Know the Difference Between Fear of Missing Out and Fear of Messing Up

There is a difference between fear of missing out and fear of messing up! We know we should all be willing to make mistakes, but how many of us have felt punished for making them instead? Having expected perfection from myself most of my life, there’s no room for error for myself. I didn’t give it to my kids, either. My kids still worry about disappointing me, though I’ve told them that I see things differently now. I work to erase my hidden expectations so we can embrace the real instead of the ideal together.

The other aspect to this for us was the diagnoses of disabilities. Crying and meltdowns were the norm instead of the “shrug it off and try again when something doesn’t go right” formula. My daughter finally told me, around age 11, that I had to stop comparing her to me because she had Dyslexia and ADD and would never be me. I did love her for who she was; I just had no other basis for information. That day, I learned to TREAT HER like her own person, and not who or how I was raised to be. Breaking habits is rough! (For them, too.)

Consequences can be good, mastering skills can be hard, and we all have differing timelines and ways of learning on our personal learning curves. I learned to help them build confidence in their choices. (I had a habit of asking my daughter, “Are you sure you want to throw that away?” She finally said, “You told me to clean my room. Dad says ‘Let’s find out.’ Stop making me second guess myself.” She was right!) Customized child-raising means raising them for who they can be, from who they are, and allowing for natural growth to occur. The moment I started treating my kids fairly, not equally, they gained more independence.

3. Decide to Have Fun Where You ARE! Be Present!

Next steps and keeping things flowing smoothly often robs me of focus. ADD makes it even harder to be present. In a bout of honesty, though, I think society has bred ADD in everyone. How can you be totally present when you have a cellphone with calls and texts coming through, also meaning that a boss can reach you ANY time and there’s no time off even on vacation? We may lie to ourselves, saying phones and laptops are just for emergencies, but that simply isn’t true. We check our forms of communication frequently, and answer the phone at the grocery store or even in the bathroom. (Just being real.) 

In order to be present, I forewarn all those whose emergencies I would regret missing, notifying them that I am going into a meeting or on vacation. I give times when I will be away, but also leave critical info on how to get through if it’s a true emergency. (Luckily, I had this in play when my dad was dying.) Then I ignore all forms of communication to be with my husband, kids, besties, or business associates. Everyone and everything else can wait. I do not need to be at every person’s beck and call.

For my kids, my being present actually contributes to our fun wherever we are. I enjoy taking random pictures everywhere, trying to test those side alley ice cream shops, and being amazed at other people’s creativity or noticing the tiny things (like the easter eggs added at Harry Potter World). I even taught my kids to enjoy washing the car, so much so that they would beg to wash the car when they were little! We lived in a small town on a college student budget with nothing for kids to do. I knew that my (then) 1-year old son would freak out when I needed to wash the car, so I told my two kids that this would be the one time they would get to remove their seat belts. We were going to clean the car, which was going to sound like a giant storm. I promised them (soap) rainbows, and told them we were trying to outdo the storm. As the cleaners got louder, we yelled, clapped and pounded! When we drove out with water still dripping down the car, my daughter exclaimed, “We made it rain!” To this day, and they are adults, they still love to wash the car. If your kids have fun wherever they go, can they really be missing out on MORE fun somewhere else?

4. Choose ONE Thing You MUST Do or Have

On my family’s last trip to California, I made a huge mistake. I tried to squeeze every possible minute, ride and experience into our trip. My kids were exhausted, grumpy, and told me this was not our best trip. Shocked, and a little upset, I asked them why. We’d attended 3 character dinings, gone on every ride in Disneyland, and this in the midst of Covid restrictions. They said they liked the old way we did trips better. Every person chooses one major event or place they want to experience, and we make sure that happens. (My daughter’s choices are simple, like a day at the beach. This compared to her brother’s day at Sea World.) Once the itinerary is planned, we stick to it. And it always involves one essential that I didn’t plan into this trip. There’s one free day where everybody can split off, do what they want, or even stay at the hotel and read. No one complains, because they know they will get their turn, and everyone else is open about participating together.

My kids said they have never worried about what they didn’t get to do because they participated in planning the ONE thing they wanted to do MOST. Kids know there isn’t enough time for everything, and that you must budget your time. We talk to them about trip budgets, too, so they know how much money can be spent and where choices need to be made. Because of this, FOMO had never been a problem. After our trip of pushing, they said they’d never travel that way again, and they’d skip everything else to enjoy the one they wanted MOST. 

When you have to make choices gauging how much fun you’ll have or choose from multiple options when you want all of them, FOMO can easily set in. Because of this, even at Christmas, they mark the top 3 items/experiences on their lists. They are warned they will only get 1, so they will be surprised with what they get but are guaranteed to receive a prized gift. Sometimes, it’s not good to receive everything you want (not including earning it or accomplishing goals), or you lose appreciation for what you have. I was actually grateful for that trip experience, as were my kids, because it proved that FOMO doesn’t have to exist. We have a healthy appreciation for family and gratitude for just being together.

5. Discover Your Reasons For Wanting to Have Everything

People naturally categorize and complete everything (like challenges). With material things, dub it hoarding if you want, most people enjoy completing their collections. (Complete collections are given more value. Surprise!) The need to have or try everything in a certain area demonstrates our desire to expand out into the world. This also satisfies our human desires to have order in our world. Whether it’s trying every dessert at an expensive buffet or buying every book in a series, we all have that instinct within us. 

Let’s translate this to our kids using candy. Candy is an experience. Flavor is great, but the allure of candy starts with brightly-colored, shiny packaging with pictures that trigger pleasure sensors in the brain. The display lures us in, but then confusion happens. We don’t know which package we like more, which flavor we want most, or we get overloaded by the choices. Our brains move to, can I have ALL of it? Kids don’t have as much experience with the “stop” filter of their brains saying that they’ve had enough, or why it would say that. So they want it all because they believe this will satisfy their desires and bring them gratification. 

I’m going to admit something most parents would be horrified about. Go ahead, troll me if you want, but even at 24, my kids remember this as a terrible experience that stopped them from sneaking into their Christmas presents along with their Halloween candy! What happened? When they were about 8 and 10, I told my kids I was tired of fighting with them. They could make the choice on their own to eat as much Halloween candy as they thought they should be allowed. I honestly have no idea how much candy they had that night—I just know that you can only punish sneaking so much before you cause PTSD by throwing out the bag of candy. They got so sick that they couldn’t eat breakfast the next morning. Instead of believing me, they needed to experience this for themselves. (Most of us learn that way.) I got asked the Heaven-sent question: “How much should I eat every day so I won’t get sick?” This led to discussions on health, sugar, and how to treat your body right so you can enjoy what you like without suffering for it. To this day, my two kids don’t eat that much sugar and are careful about overeating it even on holidays. They recognize overindulgence and don’t see it as FOMO.

6. Honest, Open Communication Can Prevent FOMO

Sometimes FOMO comes from miscommunication. Feeling left out can be a huge trigger for FOMO, and can lead to resentment or anger as well. My daughter used to have to hold 2 birthdays because some of her friends didn’t get along. A close friend found out she “wasn’t invited to the birthday party” and got upset. My daughter told her there were 2, and the girl was invited to the other one. Sometimes, we feel like one person gets all the attention, or we don’t know the whole situation. So we feel unnoticed or unimportant. 

Kids feel like their voices aren’t heard in all the noise of today. You may think they need a lot of attention, but how much do you actually give them? Sometimes they will step back to lighten your load, but you don’t ever see them doing that. Logging how much individual or family time you spend can help you see their needs better.

We all need attention. We all want to be heard, valued, and respected. And we all change constantly. Speaking up about our feelings or voicing questions we don’t want to make assumptions about is the best way to have honest conversations. Understanding each other is a process that needs time to develop. The process keeps changing as we change. Open communication not only reduces FOMO, but it also leads to trust, forgiveness, unity, overcoming, and building new bridges.

7. Change Your FOMO Focus With Gratitude

Genuine gratitude isn’t just being thankful. Applying gratitude to a situation or physical item also triggers joyful or satisfied emotional responses. Being happy, satisfied or grateful brings you to a state where you don’t experience FOMO. 

Kids take their cues from us. If we complain about gifts or anything we have received from someone else, they will devalue that experience and use it to judge the future. If kids hear us talking about how amazing it was that something happened or that someone thought of us, or that we were able to achieve our goals, they begin to understand that these are good things in life we shouldn’t take for granted. When they see the world through gentler, non-entitled eyes, FOMO is replaced by the knowledge that there are good things in their lives.

8. Establish Your Happy Place and Be Happy For Others 

When we aren’t feeling satisfied or fulfilled, we don’t have an emotional defense against FOMO. FOMO can spring up from envy, loneliness, and feeling awkward or like an outsider. Kids often feel these emotions, even in situations where the truth may look different. The emotional lens we are looking through is how we interpret what we see.

Defining your own boundaries and expectations helps with accepting who you are or where you are at in your life. Establishing your own happy place shows kids that finding peace or calm is important, and gives them an example of how to do this themselves. It also demonstrates the importance of taking care of yourself, including finding calm and happy safe space for yourself. Happy doesn’t have to be exuberant or ecstatic. Sometimes happy is just an inner satisfaction where, for a split second, everything is good. 

The surprising outcome, though, is that you can afford to be generous with others’ experiences and feelings when you are able to own yours. When you can be happy for others, celebrating their achievements with them, cheering them on, it increases your own joy and deepens your relationships. This happens for your kids, as well, because they now think outside of themselves. 

9. Determine When to Follow Tried-and-True vs. Create New Traditions

Deep-dive into your reasons for choosing a course of action. It’s okay to realize that you don’t want to follow a path or that there is something new you’d rather try instead. Just make sure you know who you are doing it for. Is this for you, or is it for them? If you’re the one who needs this, there’s nothing wrong with telling your kids that. Everyone gets to be equal in the family community, including mom and dad.

Once again, I’ll just say it. I raised my kids without Santa Claus. I also raised them without nursery rhymes, the Easter Bunny, or the Tooth Fairy. Every time I make this statement, parents get defensive or argumentative. This decision didn’t affect anyone except my own family. My daughter asked me point-blank on Christmas morning when she was 3 years old who the gifts were from. My husband and I had agreed to always tell our kids the truth, so I told her they were from her dad. As the years went by, presents were still left out for them to find, shiny, built and waiting to be played with. Their father got the deserved credit for working hard to provide for his family. My kids still have so much gratitude for what they receive, and are super generous in spirit and sharing their material blessings. And they have no memories of “finding out that Santa wasn’t real”. (Having kids with disabilities, this was a huge blessing also, because things like this confuse kids like mine.)

As adults, my kids have told me they have no regrets about not being raised with a belief in things that didn’t really matter to their lives. They believe in the spirit of giving, they don’t think they should get money for losing teeth, and they don’t need rewards to see the benefits of doing good in the world beyond how it makes them feel inside. My husband and I were raised with Santa Claus. We just wanted to try a different path for our family that we felt was more honest and less commercial. We created new traditions like letting every person choose one way they wanted to celebrate the holiday, game night, seeing the lights, or favorite dinner, and the family does each chosen activity. There is no FOMO when so many memories are being created, and everyone has equal chance to choose. 

10. Don’t Broadcast FOMO Yourself

We all have moments where FOMO sets in. It’s hard to plan for the future and not expect FOMO sometimes. But we aren’t always honest about when we are making choices based in FOMO instead of choosing what we want, free of fear. Sometimes the feelings are deeply ingrained, conditioned by past situations or other people’s reactions. Sometimes our kids even feel FOMO because they think that’s what we expect them to feel.

If you find yourself broadcasting FOMO, figure out why. It may be that you need to make choices that you feel are best and commit to those decisions to repulse regret through ownership. Or you may need to free yourself of the typical guilt that comes with worrying about how your choices will turn out. Make mistakes, learn from them, and avoid broadcasting FOMO. Dump your assumptions and expectations so you can be open to “seeing what will happen”. When your kids see you freeing yourself of guilt, taking chances, and admitting and adjusting to mistakes, they can learn to take the same path.

There’s a Hawaiian belief I think everyone should consider. Know that you were exactly where you were supposed to be, when you were supposed to be there, with the people you were supposed to be with. Trust that things went the best they could have, especially since they can’t be changed, and that a valuable lesson exists in every situation. When you can learn and grow in the unique experiences you have, you achieve balance within yourself. Finding that balance means that you can teach it to your kids, and all of you can stay out of the FOMO trap.

Defining Your Course of Action

The best way to implement any of these secrets is to constantly do family check-ins. Talk to your kids or spouse alone (over ice cream?) to see where they are at. Then adjust your course. This isn’t a DIY family fix. Kick FOMO to the curb together! This is a team effort to take on life, win, and enjoy it to the fullest!

“Don’t mention God or anything religious, because you don’t want to offend anyone” was one of the first pieces of advice I received newly on the business scene. Having friends of every faith including not claiming one, I understood how this could be problematic when trying to work with people. So I found tactful ways to discuss positive things that happened to me without using “miracles” and talked about how “lucky” I was when things worked in my favor.

Years later, I still love so many others of varied backgrounds and experiences, those who have been there for me because we share common bonds, and those who see me as I am. These people are of every faith, varying orientations, vast socioeconomic positions, and half the world’s minority populations are represented within my own family within 3 generations. I respect who they are, love that they can love me knowing who I am, and I love them right back.

When Covid almost took my life in August of 2021, every person who loved me, who wished me well, who reached out to me, became a small part of the reason I got better. I finally understood the importance of a single-sentence text sent to me, because I barely had the energy to read it (let alone respond) while I was sick. I asked one friend and one family member to help me reach out to all those I couldn’t respond to. There were days where it would take me hours to have the strength to read things people said. But I knew they were there. I knew they had thought of me. And that was the most piercing point of hope that aided my fight against my unseen enemy. Together, we overcame.

There was one person, however, whose feet I needed to lay this at in gratitude. The overwhelming feeling of love I felt, even as I fought to breathe, never left me. My Lord saw me, saw those praying for me, saw our entire world fighting a battle that was on more than the medical battlefield. We were fighting a battle of separation and division, of conflicting information and not knowing where the truth lay, and of hidden breaks in our systems that were being exposed. And I knew when I was finally told that I could go home and stay there, that I wasn’t lucky. I was blessed. Blessed even as my father passed on into the next life within that next week, blessed as my siblings sorrowed, and blessed as I saw the unspeakable miracles that came from that event.

“Lucky” became a word that just felt untrue. I am not lucky. I have been unbelievably blessed, through trials and tribulations and pain and mistakes and regret and a life of imperfection. I no longer say I am lucky, because there is no coincidence or chance. God doesn’t randomly choose to bless us. He blesses us every step of the way, every moment we allow Him to, every time he sees us hurting or triumphant. He holds us in our pain, and celebrates with us when we achieve. If the choice is between “lucky” or “blessed,” I choose to be blessed… every time.

Photo by Natalie on Pexels.com

If you Google Blackmon’s name, articles and video pop up of his interceptions, takedowns, and interviews. His stats showcase his skill and his talent, and prove the threat-level the opposing team meets on the field. But in a sea of skill and talent, what makes Julian Blackmon great? Here’s the inside look.

Most often, when examining a future prospect for a college or pro team, scouters rightly examine his capabilities. Julian has had sticky hands since he was young, getting his hands on a ball and keeping it if one came near him. His hops were seen throughout his basketball days, with a flying vertical jump that’s dreamlike to watch. And his natural dancing ability has led to a graceful agility that’s smooth in its flow when he’s racing at lightning speed down the field, dodging tackles. Watching this athlete in his element lends a fantastical quality to the game that makes us realize we are witnessing greatness.

Julian used to say that he’s not a fighter, but how can such a competitive athlete dominate the field and not be one? The answer lies in how he rises up to meet a challenge. He’s determined, dedicated, and never backs down, always driving to meet the standards of his future self and pushing to reach new heights. His views of protecting and defending family with intense loyalty transferred to his team family, and he steps up with brilliant results.

Attitude is the key driver for a man to keep his head in the game and to bring home the win. Julian is good-natured and optimistic, fueling his team with a positive outlook and dependable solidarity. He takes every advantage to improve, including reviewing his plays as only the teachable do so they can redefine their performance. Even his college grades reflect the focus with which he approaches everything he drives to excel at.

The young man invested in his favorite game of all time, Julian Blackmon, has only begun to roll out the greatness he has waiting in the wings. And I, for one, can’t wait for future showings from this lithe, powerful player, the tiger of his time.

I heard somewhere that it is good to be uncomfortable in your life. This doesn’t mean that you are unhappy or suffering. This means that you aren’t comfortable where things are at. If you are comfortable, you don’t seek change. You are much more willing to put up with things you should fight against, or let opportunities pass you by. You lose some of the passion and drive for progress, and the acceptance of a challenge to do something hard or unique, especially when others say you can’t do it.

But when you are uncomfortable, you are driven to change your circumstances, discover new things or people, or try something different. You say yes to shifting your mentality, your emotional state, or your physicality. You allow yourself to be reforged without knowing what the exact change will be. Your spirit rises to the challenge, and you do what you never thought you could. It’s a hard, tough road, with satisfaction, new perspective, and new life ahead.

Thank you then, God, for making me uncomfortable enough to forge ahead and seek challenges with new eyes.

Help Football Hopeful Fund Future

By Shara Darke

The world is getting tougher daily, and when someone in the rising generation is willing to sacrifice, step up his game, and fight for his future, he is someone to rally around! Kaimana Pearson has a chance to call De Anza College and the Dons Football Team home. He retired his Layton Lancer jersey when he graduated from high school, but has no intentions of setting his football aside. Working hard to secure a spot on a college team, he now plans to do whatever it takes to be even better at football and once again earn a position worthy of the Offensive Line Center position he achieved in high school. He is still conditioning and working out, and his dedication and determination don’t just apply to his football game.

Kaimana has always seen academics as essential, and studied as much as he practiced. He never dropped below a 3.0, and has now set his sights on the new challenges of college courses. He hopes to earn a business degree so that he can help future athletic hopefuls achieve in both sports and academics.

Coming from a family of athletes, Kaimana has shown that he can hold his own! His brothers are currently at Santa Barbra and University of Utah, and he is following their perseverance and fire as a positive example to a younger sister and brother. He is fiercely loyal to family, and his big heart sees him involved in service to them and the community.

For Kaimana to reach California prepared to give his all to his college, he needs to raise $6,000 by August 31^st. Help this athlete show what he’s made of by contributing below. Thank you for your support of America’s youth and the next generation of possibilities!

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(My nephew honored me by asking me to write the article! Found on GoFundMe.com. gf.me/u/bnk856)

Writing is so powerful. It has the power to change the soul, shape the ego, to bring life to form and form to life. Writing makes sense of the senseless and makes fearless the fearful. And EVERY PERSON has the ability to wield this strange writing weapon, whether in the form of a monster, cathartic reveal, or valiant heart, if there is courage to do so. Writing is the voice that every person fights for but seems to forget is already within reach… already in the arsenal. All that is required to use this weapon is to SPEAK UP! SPEAK OUT! SAY SOMETHING! The courage to communicate is the courage to take control of the conversation. So GO AHEAD! BE HEARD!