A thought prompted by an unexpected fire alarm (turned out to be false) where I’m currently staying.
The incident also brought this blogpost, Earthquake Tales, written while living in Indonesia, to mind. As I was caught out in similar circumstances—not fully dressed!
Two questions to ponder:
1) Are we living prepared lives?
- This could be as simple as prepping your clothes, bag etc. for tomorrow, the night before. Wisdom from my mother which has stood the test of time.
- Or, maybe you have a set weekly rhythm or set of activities, that enable you to be at your most optimal. I remember hearing about a minister who had a set a non-negotiable bedtime, because they were committed to a daily early morning prayer time. So whether guests were visiting or not, once it hit 9pm, he was saying goodnight.
- Or, it could be, circumstances permitting, having some savings put away etc.
2) How are we preparing for life’s eventualities? —Whether unexpected fire alarms or something more serious.
This isn’t to say that we must live constantly on high alert/expecting the worst. That would be unhealthy. Although, in some parts of our world, people have no choice but to live in that constant state of being.
When I lived in South East Asia, I had to have a ‘go’ bag. Packed with key documents and essentials that would cover me for an undetermined period of time.
This is a context specific example, but how does the principle translate in your current context?
- What eventualities may you need to make provisions for?
- What might you need to change in order to make the needed preparations.
Whatever your context, ‘be prepared’.