Supplies

Dear Friends, 

Do you know what it’s like to be me? Well I do, and this is why I am always so well prepared. Some might call it anxiety, some might call it a mental illness. I call it smart. I like knowing I have whatever I need whenever I might need it. I am one of those who thing is, it’s better to have it and not need it, or need it and not have it. 

Of course it's not that simple. Nothing ever is for me. As for the medical condition I do have one. I do have OCD so I think about things a lot, and not having a thing does make me sometimes a little worried. Not as much as it did years ago, but now it's more an annoyance. I don’t go crazy with it, but I think a lot of my conditioning is down to the environment. 

When my niece was younger, I used to make sure I had everything. When I was with her out of the house everything was covered. For her safety and my non worrying. As such a lot of those habits sort of kept just going through life. As I thought, that makes sense, so I just carried on. Tissue, hand gel, phone cable. I always have one of me. Why, because as the song said, “be prepared” I always am. Which is why I’m good at my job. 

When I got into teaching, I never realised being so prepared would be an asset to myself. I was always ready. I would learn from what I saw, and make sure to make my experiences better. You can imagine how this happens. I have my own pens, highlighters, tissues, glue, water and snacks. All to meet the needs of my students, and to have less disruption to my lessons. I think it works out. I have all the school supplies I need. 

Now some say, I shouldn’t be getting these things out of my own money. I feel that is true. However, I do feel like, if I waited around for things to happen they never would. So I’d rather have my own things good to go, and if things do come around, I will just restock from their supply. Don’t get me wrong, I am not breaking the bank.  I am buying the most basic of basic things to have them. I mean if people don’t have it, beggars can’t be choosers. 

I wish my work with students was the only place I was where I needed to be this organised. Within my department I am known to be organized. People will come to me and ask if I have a thing, and 95% of the time I do. When I don't have something I will go out and get it to be ready. Crazy? Maybe, but good practice. Like someone asked me if I had salt, I smiled, of course, I didn’t. ‘The last little pack was used. Next day I got salt. Do we have a knife for the birthday cake? You bet your ass there’s a cake slice. I’ve forgotten my spoon, there is a pot full of spoons. Not only is it more environmentally friendly, it’s helpful. 

Do I think I’ve gone a little overboard? Not more than covid. I’m just ready. I will be ready for whatever life has to throw at me. People may laugh at me like I’m not serious, but I take it seriously. I take it seriously, because I like to know i can rely on myself if I need something. As I’ve seen and are aware of, people are not always going to have your back. I may have others, but it doesn’t always go both ways. I just like to know if shit goes down I’m ready. 

You all may think I am crazy, and you are free to think that way. I am just ready for life. I know life can be hard, and if you don't have the right tools it's going be a real challenge. I’d rather take on those challenges, with enough tools and not worry. 

Xo FabEs