Preparation, Preparation, Preparation…
Making good decisions is a hard way to live. Well, the consequences are sure easy to endure, but it is difficult to make sure that you are making those wise decisions… hard to live that way. In everything that we teach, there is one simple idea that makes the most sense, and that is preparation.
If you read my Monday Daily Sprout, you know that my recent trip to Hartford was a pretty miserable one, and in that there was one major problem. A lack of preparation. Had I not taken some things for granted, and trusted when I should have been questioning, I would have taken care of all of the mishaps of the week before and the weekend of, up front. But I was very busy leading up to this, and let many things slide, thus a lack of preparation.
It impacted my health, it was bad in so many ways. And just like the stress of that situation impacted my health negatively, so will any situation that you put yourselves in that is stressful. But more obvious than that are the situations where you have a lack of preparation in your obvious health choices. Getting adjusted, eating correctly and exercising.
Small Sleeping Bag… expensive, thermarest mattress that fits in any pack… expensive, sleeping bag liner to increase your temperature rating by 10 degrees or more… expensive, 205 lumen headlamp to light up bears in the night… valuable, small cart and animal to haul your gear around… priceless (in the back of the photo)
These areas are so preparation intensive that without daily consideration, one will lapse for sure, if not all of them. We recently found ourselves out with the kids, with no ability to return home, with no food, and hungry kids. In my world, that is typically a time to rush off to the grocery store, but in this case, we had no time to stop at the grocery store. I would think that this is the situation that most people use as a reason to stop at McDonald’s. Personally, I think that it is unacceptable, if you ever want to learn something, then ask me why, and you will pick up a lot. I would rather feed my kids ice cream every day for one of their meals, than eat at McDonald’s.
So instead of being completely destroyed by a lack of preparation, we were only partially destroyed. We ended up grabbing a hamburger at the soccer field (soccer barn in alpharetta), and then added a bunch of water on top to try to completely satiate. Of course, the burger is not at all what I would recommend… not grass fed, not free of additives, hormones, and chemicals, but ok relative to other choices. But the story isn’t about the cover up to the problem, the story is about the solution.
Preparation is time, but not much. Had we realized what our day would most likely look like, we would have prepared excessively for lunch. I mean, we would have packed, and done it quickly, more food than we could have needed. Cucumbers, bell peppers, apples, possibly a turkey wrap, and perhaps an organic bar to snack on. Nuts… well of course. So, the cure to our problem, would have been ten minutes of preparation, and it would have saved us an unhealthy lunch as well as the extra cash on the non-healthy food.
Most of you know I will be out of town on the second weekend of November (the Thursday through Sunday). I am heading to the Appalachian Trail, to knock out 80 miles in 3 days. This is a great example of where preparation comes in. I have purchased a lot of additional gear beyond the basics that I always plan for in adventure races. I am preparing foods, and buying ways to transport it. I have been training for the hike, and I have considered alterations to the plan. Preparation always success when an environment has turned hostile.
I hope this simple discussion will give you strength to win!
Be well and Blessed – Dr. E