Past, Present, and Future

Tuesday September 22, 2009

People often ask me how to choose which items to take when they evacuate. My advice is to tell people to consider their past, present, and future when selecting evacuation items. In my past category I always take my grandmother and great-grandmother’s quilts. They are an emotional link to family members who have passed on. I could never replace them so they are some of the first things I pack.

From the present category I would take whatever tools or clothes are necessary for my work. For example, if you are a hairdresser evacuate with your license, professional tools, and work clothing. After the disaster you will eventually have to return to work. This is much easier to do if you have the tools of your trade with you.

The last category, future, deals with a person’s hopes and dreams for the future. If you dream of becoming a designer you should take your designs with you. If you are sure that one day you will be an inventor then definitely pack up the plans for your invention. Maybe all you want for the future is to successfully manage your savings so you can retire to an easy chair. If this is the case, you better take copies of all pertinent financial papers when you evacuate.

Whatever your future dreams might be, take them with you when you evacuate. I have met too many people who left the building blocks of their future dreams behind only to have them destroyed. Unfortunately, many of these people never recovered and rebuilt their dreams because they also lost hope. Don't you become one of them.

Additional evacuation information is available at www.wineandchocolateplan.com