Wildfires require extreme recovery tips.
Folks in LA are shocked at the speed of destruction.
- Over 12,000 properties obliterated
- 24 found dead, more missing, and many injured
- Roughly 180,000 forced from their homes
Could you survive if you were ambushed by a natural or unnatural disaster?
Three parachutes make the difference between recovery and death.
Parachute #1: Recovery embraces the new normal
Wildfires remind us that normal is fleeting.
Survivors acknowledge the new normal but don’t let that dictate the final outcome. Life may never return to how it used to be. But that doesn’t mean something new and even better can’t begin. It can.
“For everything you have missed, you have gained something else.” Ralph Waldo Emerson
Ponder that for a minute. New dreams can be fashioned in the new normal.
Since we can lose everything quickly, it’s good to stake your central reference point early.
Your central reference point is the foundation for the future.
In a January 9 tweet, Grimes, the mother of three kids with Elon Musk, said . . .
“The vibe is rather biblical out here. We might be outta time with regards to twiddling our thumbs whilst every level of our culture, environment, government, institutions, mental health, etc have obviously crumbled.”
Lousy central reference points.
- Culture
- Environment
- Government
- Institutions
- Mental health experts
Good reference points, yes. But they are not good central reference points.
Parachute #2: Wait till the craziness stops
Pausing after a disaster and evaluating options is the difference between recovery and death.
Navy pilots are taught to survive by focusing on a central reference point.
Find something or someone that centers your mind during the intros of a crisis.
Moving too fast after a catastrophe triggers erratic decisions.
Take a break daily as you plan, and then you will see the next step.
“I have accepted fear as a part of life, specifically the fear of change . . . I have gone ahead despite the pounding in the heart that says: turn back . . .” Erica Jong
Parachute #3: Rebuild with new dreams
Don’t give up on your dreams. Don’t adopt the dust of depression and discouragement.
You’re better for your dreams. Better for new plans. Better for big plans.
Lift your eyes and mind above the dreary onset of the crisis and look up toward the celestial lights of divine power for help.
“I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go. I will counsel you and watch over you.” Ps 32:8
When all looks lost, look to the only One who steadies the world in chaos.
Who or what inspires you to keep going?
I pity the poor boobs in S. Cal. All that we hear reinforces the notion that many of them have lost their compass, their reference point, their faith, and now their false kingdoms on Earth have turned to ashes.
Bruce, I think the real “boobs” are the arsonists, not the beautiful people of S. Cal. NFL quarterback Aaron Rodgers recently said, “There’s a lot of arson, and people have been caught doing it, people have been caught walking around blow torches and different s— which is crazy, and it’s inhumane is what it is, and it’s sickening and then the looting that’s gone on. The beautiful part is the way that so many people have come together and have gotten meals together and supplies together for these incredible men and women fighting these fires.”
This is really, really excellent advice – Going to send around
Jeff,
We’re moving from one new normal to the next, aren’t we?