The theme of Being Prepared has caught my attention. This week I've heard about, read about, or seen the results of people either celebrating being prepared, or the anguish they have suffered from not being prepared. (A first hand account of Flight 1549, tales and pictures of the Heat and Fires in Australia, a film of a penguin that saves itself from being eaten by killer whales, and multiple examples from the worldwide economic disaster.)My mind is a curious thing. It has been busy this past week trying to formulate a plan for preparedness that will work for me! A couple of time in the past, I've jumped on the bandwagon of accumulating the necessities for a potential disaster. I've done this because somewhere inside me I've believed the idea that "the sky is falling...the sky is falling"and I didn't want to be caught with my pants down, so to speak.
Each time, I've accumulated goods and possessions that had to be either packed up and hauled to a new location when we moved, or given away when we moved so that I wouldn't have to pack and haul them. Either way, my stockpile of goods was a burden.
At heart, I'm a gypsy, a wanderer, an adventurer. It's difficult to plan and provide for potential disaster, because I'm a moving target. Then, my mind thinks about the possibility of having the necessary supplies for a situation, but the inability to get to them. Or there is the scenario where the stockpile is destroyed by the oncoming disaster, in which case the effort was futile.If disaster struck and I didn't have provisions, would I feel worse knowing I had done nothing, or that I had done something and it was unavailable, or the wrong thing? And if I had made all the right choices, the provisions were available to me, and I was surviving just fine...what about the people around me? They may be needy, and I have what they need. Do I share? Sale? Make a profit? Defend my stash?
It is so easy to fall victim to the idea that the future is uncertain and I need to control everything I can so that I will not be scared. Can I control the urge to panic? What do I do to try to be prepared?
I will do what in my opinion is the more difficult thing. I will stay centered, alert, and trust in the idea that everything will be all right. It is hard to do, in the Doom and Gloom world we live in. Every day, I have to fight the urge to panic, or despair, or allow myself to fall into depression.But I really believe that my best way of preparation is to stay connected to The Source. This Source is different for each person. What we call it is not a contention for me. I know people that don't believe in any Source. But I do. It works for me. It provides me with a baseline of stability and warmth, and goodness.
I know from experience that the connection is easily broken, or ignored, or unavailable if my mind is not quiet. I also know how difficult it is to keep my mind still when bad things are happening around me, or there is even the perceived potential for calamity.
So, every day, I will be responsible. I'll add to my collection of tangible preparedness. I'll buy an extra case of green beans and that water filter I've been thinking about for years. I'll make sure I have a supply of ready cash, and keep my gas tank full. I'll keep emergency supplies in my car, and check the batteries in the flashlights. I'll make an evacuation plan with my family and establish an emergency contact person and area.
Also, every day I'll practice my meditation and strengthen the connection to my Power. I'll do it until it is second nature to be there, to know that feeling of well being that I get from being connected.
Because if the worst happened, and I found myself in a disastrous predicament, totally unprepared...I know I could survive, or die with dignity, because of My connection to Source.
