DAN RIEHL: “So that’s a derecho.”

Three days was enough, though. I had pretty much what I needed to get by, or you could get it by then. This was not a catastrophic event, as some homes, public buildings and stores of all stripes within driving distance were spared. Had this been truly catastrophic, say like an EMP attack? I’m fairly convinced the whole thing would have started to come apart pretty fast. You could tell by how many people reacted. . . .

An event like this does focus you, somehow – gives you a certain perspective it’s easy to lose sight of day-to-day. It also reinforced an old Clint Eastwood line from Magnum Force, believe it, or not: “a man’s got to know his limitations.”

Strange, perhaps. But I guess it was a teachable moment, or held a few of them, in some ways. I’m simply not altogether sure what else, if anything, I learned for now. I guess over time, maybe I’ll find out. It was an interesting three days.

Maybe gratitude has something to do with it. It almost sounds silly, now. But if you’re sitting there suffering somehow, large or small – and trust me, people were and still are from this …. The minute it all came back on, when you heard and felt that air conditioning kick on and you knew you could take a hot shower, again – or just go to the refrigerator for a cold drink, or something you wanted to eat? Strange as it may sound to you, there’s a gratitude, a beauty in that moment you can only hope to never forget. Imagine that? Hmm. What can I say? It was an experience. Leave it at that.

Here’s a post on low-budget disaster preparation, and some bug-out bag recommendations. Also, stuff to keep in your car or SUV. More here. And you might want to check out Bill Quick’s disaster-preparedness forum.