If you feel anxious

We have been affected by the war in Iraq.  Not a day goes by that some terrorist group isn't hilighted on our front pages, getting the glory they seek. Day after day they claim publicity.  Their plan seems to be working and Americans are concealing stress, even medicating it.  Now we are warned about possible attacks over the next year.  In California, we get earthquake warnings of apocalyptic proportions, and for awhile, we take safety measures to have staples and batteries on hand.  Then we eventually grow lax and forget til the next warning comes.

It's different now.  We know earthquakes and its difficult to really be prepared for them, so how do we prepare against something we don't know?  I thought about it as I stepped outside this morning and looked over my neighborhood. We should make a list of our immediate neighborhood, our block lets say.  How many children, how many teenagers, how many elderly do we have?  Do they go to schools nearby?  If so, where?  Where are the other adults at any given time?  We should know these things in case something happens to one or more of us.  We must be able to rally our families and get them to safety and not let them feel isolated should a crisis occur.  One family could be the water people, or two famillies at opposite ends of the block.  Some can be the battery suppliers; others the flashlights.  Everyone could have masks and protective gear in case of bacterial invasion.  We should have fuel on hand and food staples that can't be contaminated.  It might be a good idea for every family to have a tent--just in case.  I think you are seeing a theme come into view here.

My point is, that in these times, folks feel more helpless than ever before.  By getting a plan, even a neighborhood plan, it helps us all to feel like we can control some things, that we are doing what we can to be proactive against the terrors we don't understand.  This participation alone, can ward off anxiety and depression.  Maybe it is time the Mayors and other powers suggest this to the town's people.