Cookerati

Today might sound more like a Public Service Announcement than a picnic in the park.  Last Monday’s experience really opened our eyes and made us think about being prepared. Usually during the winter, everyone thinks about getting ready for winter, but are you really ready?  What if you were stuck in a snowstorm between exits barely moving for 4 hours.  Do you have what you need?  What if it was longer?

We were prepared, more than the average person.  We travelled up to Edinboro, PA overnight for a college visit with my son.  We knew that we would be gone overnight and that we might be caught in a snowstorm, so we packed for that.  We had drinks in the cooler, snacks in the car, including trailmix and fruit.  We had blankets, and pillows, gloves, hats, coats, and extra clothing since we were going overnight.  We also had a flashlight and other things. 

Since we were travelling, we were prepared for a long trip with a little extra in case something happened along the way.  What if you were leaving work though, and got stuck right behind an accident when the highway was closed down.  We were moving about a few hundred feet at a time.  The radio kept repeating that one lane was open, so there was hope or at least we thought (they apologized for the false reports the next day).  They also said traffic was being diverted, but it wasn’t.  We finally got close enough to an exit after 4 hours and felt comfortable enough to take it.  From there we were able to slowly drive home.  What if you ate lunch at noon, left work at 3, ended up behind that accident and weren’t able to eat or drink for a long time, would you be prepared?

What I want you to get from this is that you should be a good Boy Scout – be prepared.  Carry a bottle of water to your car every time you leave.  Keep trailmix in your car, or some other snack that won’t go bad easily.  Maybe an emergency bag or cooler to take back and forth from the car.  The accident where you run off the road, it’s good to be prepared for that.  The emergency you don’t imagine is being stranded in the middle of the highway during a snowstorm behind 20 miles of backed up cars in perfect condition with no bruises or broken bones, just a bad case of claustrophobia. It happened to us, and we were lucky, we were prepared – what about you?  Are you a good Boy Scout?  What about just running to the store or to work, are you then?