As I watch the news these last few days I cannot help but chuckle when all the pundits hype up how bad this is. "Huge storm stalls country." "Those poor folks in the Northeast". And while I do appreciate that much of the country simply is not used to this sort of weather, here in Maine we have a word for it - "typical".
In fact, this little bit of precipitation is actually quite minor. 8-12 inches is not even a storm by Maine standards. We live for snow. Snowmobiling, snow-shoeing, sled dog races, skiing, winter carnivals - the things we live for would be gone if not for the promise of lots and lots of snow.
I recall one winter we awoke and my father told me it had snowed and to go out and shovel. I opened the back door and was faced with a wall of white. I could not even see the outside. My older brother climbed out the second story window to dig down while I had a great time just tunneling out. It took all day to clear a 60 foot driveway. I remember wondering why, since no one could go anywhere, anyway.
I know, that sounds like a tall story, but it is true.
I do feel badly for those who get slammed with a snowfall like this and are not prepared for it. I guess that's the real key to it all - preparation. Each of us has an obligation to ourselves and our families to try and be prepared for the unexpected, because sooner or later the unexpected can be expected to occur.
And that is why I have included this post in a blog devoted to successful living. The most successful people in the long run are those who are adequately prepared.
Imagine a solar flare as big as the one in 1998 that knocked out the entire power grid in Eastern Canada. As bad as that was, that flare was not as large as some, but those others had simply not been in our direction. It is estimated that a large solar flare the size of the one that shut down all communications in the 1860's would, if it hit today, wipe out all satellites, and the entire electrical grids of an entire hemisphere.
Bear in mind - that means all transformers would overload and be blown. And transformers are difficult to replace because a) it requires electricity to produce them, and b) only two nations make transformers - China and Brazil. Neither is particularly friendly with us. The point is, if such a flare hit on our hemisphere, it could take from 3-10 years to get our country powered back up.
Can you survive in a world without electricity? Without communications? Remember, no electricity means gas cannot be pumped and goods - including food - cannot be delivered to stores. It takes electricity to pump water to drink and to flush toilets.
One guy told me "No sweat - I heat with wood and I have a generator." It really hurt to remind him that without access to gas, he has no way of getting in a wood supply. And without access to gas, once his generator hits "empty" he is out in the cold like most others.
I'm not saying that scenario will happen in our lifetime, but I can guarantee that a similar scenario will happen eventually. And it is a wise person who takes steps to prepare at least for the less dramatic disasters. Can you survive two weeks without power in the winter? That happened in NH in 1998. Can you be comfortable if an unexpected storm hits your area?
Think sbout it - just how well prepared are you for life's little surprises?
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