What did a Rolling Black Out teach me?

Be prepared and don’t take the little things for granted

On Thursday 8th, 2011 at precisely 3:35pm the power went out in San Diego county. Over 1.4 million customers were left without power. This means that millions felt the impact of this historic day. Just by witnessing the people I came across I instantly saw panicking and a sense of disconnection.

Multiple accidents were reported and everyone’s frustration was getting the better of them. It seems that a majority of people take what we got for granted. In some cases, people can’t function without technology. If shit were to hit the fan nationwide you can instantly see what would become of people.

What everyone should take away from this crazy day is the following:

Be Prepared for the Worst:

Many people didn’t see this coming because the blackout truly came out of nowhere. People’s gas tanks weren’t full, batteries weren’t charged, and water bottles were not stocked.

To be honest one can never truly be prepared but at times like this you may want to reevaluate your “Plan B!” if this is the case then you should try to always be prepared by having the bare bone essentials checklist. I’m no expert so you may want to leave some comments below that can help you be prepared for an emergency.

• stock up on water (you can never have too much)
• have a flashlight and some extra batteries handy (light it up)
• make sure you have food that doesn’t perish (mmmm spam)
• get in touch with your close peeps and discuss “the plan”
• never take on the situation alone (work together)

Cherish the Little Things:

Next time everything is working and you have the wonderful magic also known as electricity stop and take a moment to be thankful. Some people do not have the technology that we have so be appreciative. Without electricity almost nothing can be done.

I also bet that since the power went out many people were doing things that they haven’t done in a while. Up until this point I bet people forgot about the mighty pen & paper as well as the handy candle. Also, I heard that people actually finally gave themselves the time that they deserved.

• some families went to the beach to beat the heat
• some couples went to watch the sunset
• others finally started reading that book they’ve been putting off
• and some took the time to look up at the stars

Regardless of what dark times that your going through (no pun intended), there are always little things that you can cherish and do. Don”t let events like this dictate your life. I know it will impact the he’ll out of it but don’t forget that you can control what events and things mean to you… So stay calm!!!