As I’ve said before on this blog, I’m good in crisis. When something happens all of the sudden, I stay calm, cool, and collected. (Don’t believe me? Read here about how I handled being on a cruise ship that caught on fire.)
But as it turns out, I’m not as calm, cool, or collected when I have warning of a crisis coming my way. Don’t get me wrong–I didn’t flip out or anything–but I over-prepare. Let me explain. The first warnings of Hurricane Irene coming towards New York City started on Wednesday. On Thursday morning, I was at the supermarket buying canned goods. Spaghetti-O’s, to be specific. More cans of Spaghetti-O’s than I could possibly eat. Ever.
And then I went back to the supermarket a few hours later because I forgot to buy a few things. Then I went back again on Friday afternoon. And then again on Saturday afternoon. (Oh, and I sent my husband out on Thursday night because I’d forgotten a few things.)
So as it turns out, when you take a somewhat overcautious and paranoid person and add a few messages from the Office of Emergency Management, she turns into the Hurricane Hoarder. I know, it’s ridiculous. But I felt good to know that if we did lose power, or if we did have to evacuate, I was prepared. And I feel incredibly blessed that not only were we safe, but we did not experience any flooding or power losses. I know that we were quite lucky and that many of you, including some of our regular bloggers, have been dealing with flooding and property damage. I am thinking of you.
But the positive that comes out of all of this? Many synagogues have a food drive on Yom Kippur, requesting canned goods to give to local food pantries. The concept is that as we fast for a day, we should give the food we would have eaten to those who don’t have enough to eat. I think it’s a beautiful premise, and regularly do it. This year, I’ll be making an even bigger donation (as you can see from the photo above!)
But I’m not giving up the 6 gallons of bottled water sitting in the corner of the bedroom. Those are going to stay…just in case.
