Been watching the news all day about the winter storms raging across Parts of the Ohio valley. Kentucky and Arkansas were extremely hard hit and not much relief seems to be forthcoming in the weather.
The jobless numbers just keep on climbing with more and more layoffs in the news. Large companies are folding, as well as smaller companies. Locally in my neighborhood, Home Depot is closing their store in this part of town. They are laying off 7,000 people company wide, many local.
The thing that hurts me most...is that so many of these people are so unprepared. No savings, no stores in the pantry, no emergency fuel supplies of any kind, no alternate source of heat, no extra water supply....NOTHING!
What could I have done personally to help prevent this? How much more could I have warned these folks to prepare? Would anything I could have said or done really have made any difference? I'm sad to say I don't believe it would have.
So many of these people KNEW the storm was coming. So many suspected the layoffs were coming. So many knew they had no extra stores of food or water or fuel or medicine. How could I ever convince someone like that?
Some had their emergency plans in place. Some had emergency stores in place. Some followed the weather predictions and pretty much knew in advance what was coming. Some...but not enough!
I am getting completely worn out from all the bad news. I worry about all the folks that refuse to take control of their own destiny. I worry for all the families put in harms way by the lack of planning and facing the uncomfortable issues that are coming. I worry that the leaders of our government are failing to deal with the issues facing the average working public.
However, I have decided that I can't spend the time I should be spending getting myself prepared...in worrying so much about those that won't help themselves. I'm sorry, but I just can't do it.
My heart goes out to all that are being hard hit by the Winter storms and power outages. My heart goes out to the families that are caught up in unemployment and reduced paychecks. My hearts go out to families that wanted to prepare but couldn't for some reason.
To those that could have prepared and didn't...I feel bad for you and ask "why didn't you?" Where will you and yours be in another month?
As for me, I'll continue to put aside what I can in the way of extra food, fuel, and such. I'll continue to work on my own emergency plans. I'll continue to make sure my vehicle is gassed up and road worthy. I'll continue to do what common sense tells me I should do...prep!
What I won't do anymore is feel guilty for the bad decisions of others. I can't...I just can't!
All I can do is keep the coffee pot on and hot...want to join me in a fresh cup, my friend?
