What Would You Pack?

I’m writing this month’s article on my laptop from a friend’s house, as I’ve been evacuated from my home since midnight five days ago, when the Missionary Ridge forest fire here in Durango, Colorado was raging toward my neighborhood. Helicopters and planes have been flying constant missions overhead, dropping water and slurry to try and contain the fire.

There were three stages to being ready to take flight – being on “watch,” “pre-evacuation” (be packed and ready to go on a moment’s notice), and “mandatory evacuation” (GET OUT! NOW!)

When you’re on “watch,” you’re wondering whether you should pack up, what you should take, whether you’re worrying too much or not enough. When you’re raised to “pre-evacuation”, you’re wondering whether you should move stuff now or wait for the dreaded call, and whether you should just leave now and go somewhere else for a while. Once “evacuated,” your everyday routine life is wistfully remembered as blissful.

Even when you have tremendous support during evacuation, which I’ve been fortunate to have, you miss your regular life. I was in Boston on holiday during the first week of the fire (this is Week 3), and it’s altogether different to be away from home when you’re wondering if your home is going to be destroyed, and if there’s anything more you could have done.

So, if you could only take one carload of everything you own with you, what would you take? What’s most important, and what’s most “valuable?” #1 on everyone’s list seems to be photographs. Though they may be in a box in a closet, nobody wants to risk losing these. Jewelry seems to be more obligatory, meaning that people move it because of its monetary value, more than sentimental value. For me, my dogs were also at the top of the list, along with computers that are the backbone of my business.

One of the amazing realizations to me was that once people got to the place where they realized they might lose the majority of what they own, for most people it did boil down to just about a carload of stuff that they considered irreplaceable. The boring but critical (financial, insurance and personal records), the emotional (pets and photos), the irreplaceable (art, jewelry, etc) and a few days worth of clothes. And that when the call comes, your adrenalin is pounding so hard, you’d better have those things packed and by the door in advance, because your mind is racing in a thousand directions.

You also realize how much stuff you own that you can live without. I know that when I move back in this weekend, there’s some culling I need to do.

The amount of “Thank You’s” happening at a time like this in a community is unbelievable. In the midst of all the anxiety, stress, terror and uncertainty are firefighters racing into battle, sleeping in tents or just on the ground at the high school and fairgrounds, their faces black and weary but willing to smile and answer questions, and appreciative of the thanks we offer. Friends open their homes to take in friends or strangers, or store their belongings for them. The Red Cross registers everyone, and coordinates shelter, food, encouragement and communication. Home Depot puts together cleaning kits for when you go back home. Residents organize donation centers for firefighters and evacuees, with over the top generosity. Everywhere in the community are hand- made signs of “We Love All Firefighters!” “God Bless Firefighters and Those Who Help Them,” “Thank You Firefighters” and similar thoughts.

In a time when we might question human nature because of actions such as terrorism and corporate/accounting thievery, the abundance of caring and giving I’ve seen in this disaster is enough to bring tears to your eyes and optimism to your spirit.

What’s the coaching message here? Know who and what’s most important to you in your life, and value them every day. Know what’s not so important, and be willing to lose it. Appreciate whom you can count on – and understand that they may be friends, family, or strangers. Be thankful for the little things in your life you take for granted – breathing smoke-free air, going to sleep without fear of physical harm, or cooking a meal in your home. Lastly, appreciate that everyone plays a role in the larger team – the radio station personnel, the sheriff’s deputies, the volunteers, the electricians, the clerks at the grocery store – everyone.

Thank you, everyone...

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