For this Black post, I’ll talk about recent personal events and a few prepper items that I’ve now learned are essential.
How time flies. In a prior post I mentioned how lucky I was to have employment while jobs vanished and the world was on lockdown. I also said how appreciative I was at having a job I could do remotely. Although it didn’t feel as if I was spitting in the wind, little did I know what was around the corner. Right after I recorded my last podcast, I received a phone call telling me that, like so many others, I no longer had an employer. This was emphasized a few days later when I received a ransom note disguised as a severance letter. Needless to say, the loss of employment was a shock to me. However, despite this turn of events, I knew I had to overcome this sudden and unexpected, real life plot twist.
Being a prepper, I already had a few plans in the event of an emergency. The first thing I knew to do was review my finances and see to bills and living expenses. As many people discover during challenging times, the need to cut back goes from a future plan, to an essential priority. Savings are more important than ever, as is taking inventory of food stores. With my employer-provided healthcare coming to an end, I rushed to renew my current prescriptions. From there, I made sure I had my important documents on hand. For many, this includes birth certificates, passports, documentation for home, car, and all insurance papers.
California is an expensive place to live, and with the current job shortage, I knew my lack of income would be an ongoing drain on my savings. I knew I had to sell my home and find another place to live. The good thing about being a prepper is planning for emergencies. The bad part is the large amount of frozen and refrigerated items that are not sustainable when you need to move. As the shock of job loss wore off, the foods that couldn’t be stored at room temperature had to be passed along to my neighbors. They were grateful for the gifts and were sad at my sudden departure. As is the case with any residence, it’s important to know your neighbors and to connect as much as possible. When something major happens, connections to friends and neighbors are priceless.
Another thing that is hard to prepare for is the accumulation of items after years living in one place. Packing felt like it would be the easiest thing to do in the beginning, but became the most challenging. The plan was to empty one room a day, then one a week. Finally, I had to have a storage unit for the overflow. The things that could be, were sold. Others were donated. A good lesson learned is to have boxes that are as close to the same size as possible. When stacking in a truck, your car or storage unit, different sized boxes turn packing into a game of Tetris with pieces that never want to fit together. I tried to make sure things went smoothly, but by the end, mistakes were made.
Weeks came and went with various stresses and constant action. Once the move was complete, the process of unpacking was underway. Although this all started in May, and October is looming ahead, I am still doing my best to settle in. Some things I need, remain boxed, and others are MIA. I’ve also started prepping again. As always, bulk items are best. With limited funds, the need for essential items is now tempered with budgeting concerns. Things like condiments and seasonings are must-haves.
Although my stable and secure job is no more, I am still tankful to have had a job during the 2020 lockdowns. For me, working remotely, proved once and for all that I could work just as hard whether I was in a cubicle or at home. We all have challenging times ahead but with a clear head and some planning, it should all turn out well in the end. As long as we continue following our passions, we can face every new day with a positive outlook as we handle each obstacle, climb every mountain and reach for our dreams.
