I hope you are enjoying your Summer! Where I am (the Hamptons), the weather has been incredible. However, I am all too aware that Winter lurks around the corner; it always does.

Lurking danger reared its ugly head this Summer for my third daughter. She was riding high after traveling in Europe with her close friends when her bubble was shattered, literally and figuratively. She was having dinner with my inlaws at LouLou's in Paris when a drinking glass exploded in her hand. She will recover fully, but it has been quite a process. My in-laws accompanied her in an ambulance to the public hospital, where she had emergency surgery to remove the glass and repair tendons. We arrived the following day, and things seemed under control, so we continued our planned trip, albeit her activities were limited. When we returned to New York a week later, we saw a surgeon who said the previous surgeon wasn't as skilled as we hoped. A do-over surgery was needed, and it was done right this time. Winter came.

Throughout my life, I have found that the great times are followed by the not-so-great times and vice versa. I suspect that to achieve higher highs, you need to have experienced the opposite. There would be no unbridled joy without experiencing pain and loss. This is called life.

As such, always best to be prepared before emergencies happen.

MyAbroadMDs
Health

My wife and I were not with our daughter when her accident and initial surgery occurred. She recounts that doctors and nurses were speaking to her in French. I am certain they went through little of the protocol required in the US, like determining if she had any allergies or other pre-existing conditions. Thankfully she was fine, but it made us realize that she needed an English-speaking advocate and/or doctor while traveling abroad. Even though the outcome was satisfactory (C+), imagine if she had been elsewhere. MyAbroadMDS is an organization started by fellow Loupers Jonathan and Cori C. They aimed to create a resource for travelers to find quality medical care abroad. The reality is that language barriers and unfamiliar systems make it difficult for outsiders (anyone) to navigate foreign health systems. MyAbroadMDs allows members to connect with English-speaking medical professionals around the world. They even have a system for sharing private medical information with the providers. Check it out and find the program that is right for you and your family. Be prepared for Winter!

Emergency: This Book Will Save Your Life by Neil Straus
Book

I read this book after the financial crisis in 2007 when I thought the world as I knew it was falling apart. I did nothing. I reread this book after the pandemic and planned on doing something. It's hard to read this and not want to improve your survivor skills. The author Neil Strauss transforms from a helpless urban dweller to an independent survivalist. It's a first-hand account of how to train for complete autonomy should society as we know it collapses; in light of any of the recent crises we've all encountered, from tsunamis, hurricanes, and financial meltdowns, it's not so hard. Author Neil Strauss likes to penetrate subcultures and bring readers along for the journey. This book is a blueprint for beginning to make yourself self-reliant. It's worth reading, as your life could depend on it! He says, "What can you do when it all hits the fan? You can learn to be self-sufficient and survive without the system."

Superesse, Dense Urban Survival Course ("DUSC")
Education

Winter is coming? I don't know about you but I feel woefully unprepared for an absolute disaster. The Global Pandemic was bad, but what if it was a dress rehearsal for something more sinister and significant? As you know, I have a vivid imagination and think the real danger is approaching. I don't live in fear (quite the opposite), but it's time to do something about it. If the time comes when I need to take care of family/loved ones, am I prepared to do so? Do I have the equipment and the skills to survive when modern life's conveniences and services are unavailable?

I began to look into actual preparedness programs and wasn't impressed with the offerings. Most are very limited in scope and unlikely to prepare one for the worst-case scenarios, i.e. health emergencies (no access to doctors or hospitals), lack of electricity or access to food or clean water, the list can go on and on .... The notion is to be prepared if something happens rather than be a victim and hope for the best. With that in mind, I enlisted the help of a friend to develop an introductory course in emergency preparedness called Superesse. Think of it as Scouts for adults. Superesse aims to teach critical thinking and many of the necessary skills that eluded me as a child so that one is prepared to deal with adversity. The course will be led by former Special Ops professionals (think Navy Seals, etc.). It will include emergency planning, health/hygiene, communication/navigation, route planning/evacuation, home defense, and much more!

Fingers crossed, these skills will never be needed, but peace of mind is everything. The inaugural Alpha group will begin in the Fall, and space is already very limited. Please email me if you are interested in learning more. Winter is coming!

What 3 Words
App

I came across this genius program meant to replace the current location systems as we know them with three randomly assigned words. These three words identify a unique 3x3 meters square in the world. The creators realized that they could map the world by using 3-word combinations using over 40,000 words. Many people and businesses are switching to these 3-word addresses to avoid confusion created by street names and address-giving municipalities. My home address exists in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Elmhurst, North Bergen, and many more locations! Most importantly, only some locations are an address, like when you want to meet someone in Central Park (///chairs.tone.stews) or a campsite on a pre-planned escape route (///books.marketplace.dance). Perfect for the doomsday scenario, assuming you have access to power and internet... Winter is coming!

We all hope Winter doesn't come, but hope isn't a strategy, and consider MyAbroadMDs, Emergency, Superesse, and What 3 Words found.

WINTER (MAY BE / IS) COMING?