Planning for the Worst; Hoping for the Best

I believe in planning for the worst; hoping for the best.

Slowly, cautiously, our life is returning to normal. Now fully vaccinated, we’ll have our first family get-together on Sunday, albeit outdoors and masked, since our son and daughter-in-law are waiting their turn for the vaccine.

We’ll resume childcare duties once a week after school. It means the kids and I will be doing more projects in my craft room or out in the yard, instead of via FaceTime.

I like to think we’re on the road to normal and we can see the light at the end of the tunnel. But with new variants and rising cases in some states, it’s hard to know.

So I look at this time right now as a window of opportunity. Hopefully the window will keep growing, but just in case, I’m also planning for the worse. It’s no different from stocking emergency supplies for natural disasters.

Remember that feeling of panic last year as everyone rushed out to Costco to buy toilet paper and other essential supplies? Anticipating the lockdown, we had stocked up before the crowds. It’s hard to even imagine how frightened we all were; today, many of us remain concerned, but without that level of helplessness we felt then. We have more knowledge and a vaccine, and they’re empowering.

Planning for the Worst: Booking Appointments

Planning for the worst means scheduling all my medical appointments, including doctor visits, medical tests, and a visit to the dentist right now.

I’m finally getting my hair cut next week! And while I like to give my stylist free rein, I’ll stick to a short bob that can grow out gracefully, just in case we get locked down again.

Shopping for the Things that Could Grow Scarce

I remember items that ended up in short supply, and how prices skyrocketed. Masks, pulse oximeters, no-touch forehead thermometers, hand sanitizers, disinfectants, and disposable gloves were all difficult to procure. Now that stores have restocked and prices are back to normal–it’s a good time resupply.

On the food spectrum, yeast and flour were nowhere to be had, and bread machine prices soared. Steve bought yeast in bulk, repackaged in small, airtight jars, and froze the jars. Some manufacturers don’t recommend freezing; you’ll have to decide.

Flour is a little trickier to store for longer periods because of its bulk and limited shelf life. We keep our backup in our cool garage. Store whole grain flours in the freezer to prevent rancidity.

Like all my friends, I made a sourdough starter and kept it going for a few months. I found I didn’t like the responsibility for keeping up the starter, so I tossed it. I also bought a bread machine, anticipating a possible future when I can’t get to the supermarket but don’t want to bake from scratch.

We’re restocking shelf-stable foods that we depleted during the pandemic. We do the same for earthquake emergency supplies that are reaching their use-by date.

Making my Home an Oasis

If we get to the worse–in lockdown again–it would be heaven to have a pretty outdoor space to enjoy. Therefore, we’re having our poorly tended yard professionally landscaped. I hope it will be the place that we can sit out on an afternoon to enjoy fresh air, and possibly to see friends and family–whether or not we’re in lockdown again.

At the start of the pandemic, like a woman possessed, I made pillows from some fabrics I bought in Provence years ago that had been languishing in my sewing chest. It brightened our living room and made me feel better.

I began to take better care of our houseplants. It turns out geraniums make quite lovely cut flowers for arrangements. They kept my house cheerful during the first dark days. If I were a decent gardener, I would grow vegetables.

But Hoping for the Best

I like to think that I’m being overly pessimistic, planning for the worst-case scenario. And if so, I will be thrilled! I’ll have spent money on some things I won’t need–but could always use.

I don’t want to go back to FaceTime to see the family. I want to go out to restaurants, to travel, and to invite people over for dinner. And hopefully, we are on our way! In the meantime, I go about planning for the worse, but hoping we face a better tomorrow.

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