I've made my decision about Irma [View all]

[teach1st]

I know what I'm going to do to keep my family and me safe. The plan is in motion. Now I'm going to stop watching the weather constantly and relax. I might even dip into my special "hurricane water" early.

I've been through a lot of major hurricanes. My bedroom in Hawai'i slid into the ocean during one hurricane. I know what to expect. But, I keep getting tons of messages from former students, late teens and early twenties who are freaked out. They want me to make decisions for them. I won't. They want me to tell them exactly where Irma will hit and what the conditions will be. I can't. After some consoling words, I get a bit tough lovey. They need to be as prepared as possible, they need to participate in family decisions, they need to make sure they have a definite plan with a few backup contingencies, and then they need to stop stressing. Stressing helps to a point with preparations, but stress is no good once preparations are complete. Go for a walk, go for a swim, smoke 'em if you got 'em, and spend time with your family.

Best of luck to everybody affected by nature's shenanigans. Best of luck to all!