So I really was going to go to bed early tonight – but then I made the mistake of spotting my Emergency Kit (yep, I’m one of those people who keeps one “just in case”) in the back of my entry closet and thinking, “You know with all the flooding and terror alerts in the news lately, it really is time I update this.” Because it really was (well, okay, 11:30pm on Thursday night may not have been the best time, but – I mean it is for an emergency, right? If there’s an emergency, I want the contents to be useful, right?) Honestly, I couldn’t remember when the last time was I’d checked it.
Oddly enough, opening it up uncovered way more information to me than I expected. . .
The first thing I did was check the expiration date on the canned food. Most went back to 2008 or 2009! Really?!?! My thought process went something like this:
1. Wow, has it really been THAT long since I checked this box?
2. Holy Cow! Micky wasn't even born yet!
3. Nice, I REALLY could have used this food back in the “dark period” when I was forced to get donations from friends and church just to feed the kids – that was an emergency and yet it never crossed my mind to get the food from my box – duh.
4. And just out of curiosity – it’s canned food – does it really expire at that date? Because I have about 10 cans of food in there that’d I’d really hate to throw away.
5. Raw ironic humor here – but “expiration date 2009” – that about sums it up. J
One more bit of irony was taped to the upper lid. That’s where you’re supposed to keep a backup set of keys and “emergency money.” I pulled out the envelope and what did I find inside? Keys to two cars I no longer own and a credit card closed . . . wait for it . . . in 2009! That was the expiration date right? Any emergency stash of cash that would come in handy right about now? Nope. And, come to think of it – a CREDIT CARD! I’m thinking that if I’m having any type of emergency that’s requiring me to grab this box, my kids, and jump in a car and drive, credit cards probably aren’t going to do me much good. (Unless I could perform some MacGyver maneuver with it. On second thought . . . maybe I should keep that card in there.)
What also surprised me was what WASN'T in the box. I already indicated I had no cash, not good. But also no pictures of the kids! I don't remember that being on the list, but it should be. What if you get separated from your kids? Gotta get pics in there. And, hello! Changes of underwear for the family, people! A basic necessity when you're on the run. And finally, I had nothing for entertainment. A deck of cards, some paper and crayons. The basics, but my kit should have that. Or better yet, three small emergency preparedness backpacks for the kids.
So anyway – there’s some food for thought for you. Do YOU have an emergency kit? If you don’t, you really should. (You can get all the instructions and lists at www.ready.gov/america/getakit/) And more importantly, you should update it EVERY year – don’t let it sit and become a time capsule instead. And in case you didn't get the connection between this post and the nature of my blog - if there ever WERE an emergency that called for the use of this kit, the trip I'd be on with my kids would, without a doubt, be the expedition of our lives!
3 comments:
Like it all :) And the silver lining to "expiration date 2009" is that some things just reach their shelf life and then it's time to get rid of them. Lets just say a certain someone probably overstayed their shelf life! LOL!!! You're doing great, Bec!! Keep up the hard work! :) I Love you.
Well the other part is when you buy canned food because it's easiest to reach on the isle and has a nice lable and the listed contents sound pretty good, only when the can is finally opened and it's not at all what was advertised. In fact it's down right poisonous! Definitely doesn't belong in the emergency kit! Just gotta toss it and all other canned food like it. What were we talking about? ;)
Thanks for the reminder. After 9/11 I had a bag in the back of the car that stayed there until the car died. When we got a new car the bag was in the garage where it still lives today. The change of clothes and underwear in there won't fit any of my kids. I think the only useful items I'll find in it will be quarters (for some reason, at the time I thought these would be extremely useful -- but can you even find a vending machine or payphone these days???) and maybe socks.
Post a Comment