And Now I Know

not to eat walnuts because evidently they crack your teeth. Seriously - it was a WALNUT. A little tiny piece, no less. And it cracked my tooth right down to below the gum line. My dentist told me that the only thing that was keeping the tooth together in one piece, and incidentally, in my mouth at all, was my poor gum, which was seriously so sore I couldn't even eat a scrambled egg.

And now, post crown prep, I literally canceled all my appointments and came home to sit because although I am still entirely numb, my head aches so bad I want to pop it like a zit. Not to mention I'm dizzy and disoriented.

Thank goodness my dentist had an opening today. It's funny how one little tiny piece of bone can seize up the entire engine of a person's day...just like that. Shows you who's in control anyway.

If I go buy some shoes, I'll feel better.

Good Timing

Four years ago, my dentist told me that I needed to replace two old root canals with crowns and that if I didn't, I ran the risk of the tooth becoming brittle and breaking.

They cost like $700 each. Needless to say, it wasn't too high on my priority list especially because they weren't broken yet.

Fast forward to today. Crack!

Reverse to 1 week ago when I finally decided I had the moolah and made an appointment to get the first crown done - on the side that the soon to be cracked tooth would be.

Now tell me I don't have a little angel sitting on my shoulder.

If You Have Character, Please Rise

I'm reading a book (what else is new) that has some really interesting ideas in it. They're not novel, especially to our faith. But they're worded in a way that is making me stop and reflect. Like the purpose of challenge and pain in our lives. We all know that our challenges and frustrations help us grow into the sort of people that we want to be but the same idea was put forward that the same people, without the challenges and obstacles that we each face would be dry husks of that same person who has undergone trials in their lives. Challenges are what change us into a person that can be differentiated from another person primarily because they are what develop character. What it specifically said is that what a person does in the face of challenges is what sets them apart from another person.

I know that I undergo challenge after challenge every single day. From an overly busy job, to learning how to become a good manager (like herding cats), to finding the balance of work and motherhood, providing for all of the needs of my family - these are things I do every day. I scramble through each day just trying to end up with my mouth above the water line. But perhaps I can do this better. Maybe how I'm doing it all is very expected. What if I could find a way to rise above - excel, thrive, grow in these challenges instead of just existing/struggling/getting by to reach the next day.

Getting Re-Prepared

Why does it take a community's collective practical destruction for me to get my head back into my own personal preparation? It's been nearly 2 years since I've looked at my family's 72 hour kits. In that time, each member has changed a lot and the kits are no longer a viable solution for us in the state that they are currently in (the kits that is).

In that two years, the baby is no longer in 3-6 clothes, not on formula anymore, and no longer wearing size 2 diapers. Yet her kit had all baby stuff in it, right down to bottles and burp pads.

Today I did a total overhaul. I replaced all of the food, even the meal replacement bars. I replaced and sanitized the water, bought new food & medications, changing clothing choices and increased sizes for the kidlings.

I replaced insurance documents, re-assessed the financial preparations that were included in the kit (checks, cash, credit etc.) and copied new documents. I also made new "Lost" signs for my family with updated information and pictures which was a relief. The most important part of an emergency is finding all of your loved ones and the last thing I want to do is put together a poster.

The National Center for Terrorism suggests placing your 72 hour kits in a protected place in your backyard which is an interesting thought considering an earthquake (our likely event) will probably not hurt your backyard too much. Ours have been in our storage room in our basement which has increasingly disturbed me. Is this the best place? Won't our entire house be on top of that room if if caved in? What good is a 72 hour kit or evacuation kit under 20 million tons of bricks, concrete, wood and other debris? Hmmm.

However The Marshmallow wants me to consider mice getting into my kit so I'm not sure what the solution is. I'd rather keep the goods for ourselves, and not feed the vermin of the neighborhood while we're waiting for The Big One.

All in all, I feel 80% prepared for a natural disaster. I hope it doesn't come because that 20% will be alarmingly conspicuous on that day when I wish I had been 100% prepared.