Recently I was reminded why I prepare for the unexpected. It wasn’t the end of the world TEOTOWAKI scenario you hear about on something like Doomsday Preppers, but the more mundane and very real reasons why we need to be prepared. It always seems like those smaller issues are things we overlook in our preparedness yet they are the things that we will always experience.
Recently my father had a ruptured aortic aneurysm. Health problems like these aren’t the kinds of things you plan for, one minute your fine and the next your in the Emergency Room wondering if you will even get to see your family again. That morning everything seemed like a normal morning. I was at work, like most days, when I got the frantic call from my Mom. Thankfully my job was understanding and I was able to rush home grab some clothes and my BOB and start the long drive over the mountains to where my parents live.
My dad was one of the lucky few who survived a ruptured aneurysm, but survival is sometimes just the beginning of the equation. While my Dad was in ICU all the real realities of life start to hit and have to be taken care of. Bills need to be paid and time marches forward, even when we wish it wouldn’t. Thankfully due to the principals we try to endorse there was little I had to worry about during this time other than my Dad. I had money in the bank, a place to stay, food, clothes and all of the other necessities. I can’t say that everyone in the hospital had the same situation. A lot of the other families in the ICU had to go buy clothes or rush back to work while their loved one was sick, simply because they could not afford not to be at work. Because I had an emergency fund, and quick access to clothes and the necessities before I left I was able to live comfortably and provide for my Mom.
I can’t say that my parents were as prepared, and it was that realization that made the situation even more real for me. My dad is the bread winner in their relationship and normally took care of most of the chores around the house, usually always drove, filled the car with gas and paid the bills. My parents did not have a plan for if anything happened to my dad, no saved money and usually lived paycheck to paycheck. When something like this happens and you have no plan, no savings and no income you realize just how important they all are.
While no one can schedule their health problems we can be prepared for the unexpected. Its times like these that I am grateful for being prepared.