This newsletter is sent out to subscribers twice a month. Enjoy! Carol Riggles ======================== :: WORDS TO LIVE BY :: ======================== "Strength does not come from winning. Your struggles develop your strength. When you go through hardship and decide not to surrender, that is strength." -- Arnold Schwarzenegger -- Former bodybuilder, World Famous Actor, and now candidate for Governor of California ======================== :: FEATURE ARTICLE :: ======================== Are you ready if the electricity goes off? by Carol Riggles Hopefully you weren't hit by the recent power outage suffered in New York and many other major U.S. cities. If you were, I hope you were prepared. If you weren't, I hope you realize just how vulnerable we are because of our dependency on electricity and that now you are ready to take steps to be prepared if and when it happens to you. Most of us have experienced a blackout before, and if you were prepared it was probably just an annoyance or incon- venience. If you weren't prepared, it was probably disruptive to your life or business. Since there’s not much anyone can do to prevent a utility blackout, it is important to know the various ways you can prepare for and reduce its impact on your life when it happens. Regardless of whether the blackout lasts two hours or two days, there is really only one thing you can do before it happens that you can't do after it hits and that is to get rid of the clutter! This advice is geared toward the clutter found at home, but also applies to your place of work or business as well. Imagine for a moment that you are blind, and that you have to find a flashlight in your living or working space that is at the other side of the room. Will you be able to walk there without tripping over piles of dirty clothes, old magazines and newspapers, pet and children's toys, bags of garbage, boxes of stuff to give away or sort through, and stacks of paperwork, etc? Whew! - you finally made it across the room (after tripping a few times) and the flashlight is in your hand. But wait - it doesn't work! Now where are those batteries? Now you face another long walk (or crawl) through the confusion to the storage closet! Getting rid of the clutter all over the floor is essential for the successful survival of a short-term or long-term blackout, so that is a good place to begin. Start at the Beginning - Walk through the front door with your eyes open but as if you are wearing a blindfold. Make note of everything you would run into or fall over if you couldn't see. Are there shoes left right in front of the door? Do you have stuff waiting there to be carried out? (You should if you have been sorting your clutter - see the issue "Back to Basics" in the Eliminate Clutter archives now online!) When the lights are on, you can gingerly step around and through this chaos, but when the lights are out this clutter is a virtual mine field! Don't start to actually pick up or clear away the clutter at this point or you will get bogged down with the activity instead of the purpose. Right now you are simply jotting down a specific list of floor clutter found in each of your rooms. When you are finished, your survey should enable you to determine the types of clutter problems you will need to address. If you can identify the things that tend to end up on the floor in your home or office, you can take steps to eliminate the problem once and for all, instead of just dealing with the clutter on a daily or weekly basis. For example - if your shoes don't have a real home, either because they are always removed at the doorway, or because your closet is too crowded to put them away, this is a problem that can be solved. I will be focusing on each of these floor clutter problems in future issues of this newsletter, so please take the time to make your list, and then let me know what your most significant problems are by selecting the items from the poll featured above on the left. After you have walked the space, and compiled your list of floor clutter, go through the rooms again, but this time grope your way around the room. What you are looking for this time is furniture that will topple over if you lean on it, scatter rugs that are loose and easy to trip over, electrical cords that are exposed that can cause you to fall if your foot gets tangled up in them, etc. It is possible to trip and fall over these things when the lights are on, but you are less likely to grab something you shouldn't for support if you can see what you are reaching for. In a blackout situation, these things can cause serious injury. Finally, after the obvious hazards have been identified, take a critical look at your furniture and its arrangement. Seriously rethink whether you should keep any furniture with sharp edges and corners. If you have no choice, try to arrange these items in such a way that they pose no hazard if someone were to fall or walk into them. Also, take note whether your furniture is arranged in such a way that the paths around the furniture (in designer's terms - the "negative space") are logical, wide enough, and conducive to safe and simple navigation. Or, does the arrangement create dead-ends and blockades that could cause confusion during a blackout. Don't Stop Now Removing the clutter from your floor is not the end of preparing for a safe and successful blackout event. In fact, it is just the beginning. After you have created a safe way to move around in the dark, you need to think about all of the clutter you will find in your drawers, shelves, closets, and on your countertops, while you are searching for candles, flashlights, and batteries! Naturally, I can't address all of these problem areas in one newsletter. The point of today's article is alert you to the real danger that clutter can create in the event of a power outage. By taking proactive steps over the next few weeks, you will be ready to face the next blackout without too much distress. Don't forget to let me know what your major clutter problem areas are by participating in the polls found throughout this website. About the author: Carol Riggles, owner of Carroll Creek Remedies, provides simple, practical, and effective solutions for better health and a more organized lifestyle. ======================== :: INTERESTING INFO :: ======================== Senior Safety Tips Keep in mind that people don't just fall down during blackouts! Falls are the leading cause of injury in people 65 and older. Falls can happen anytime and anyplace to people of any age, but most falls by people age 65 and older occur in the home during everyday activities. However, many falls can be prevented. Here are some prevention tips from the Orthopedic Center at Akron General Hospital. Stairs -Provide enough light to clearly see steps. -Keep stairs free of clutter. -Cover stairs with tightly woven carpet or non-slip treads. -Install sturdy handrails on both sides of the stairway. Bathroom -Keep a night-light on in the bathroom. -Use bathroom rugs with nonskid backing. -Install handrails in the bathtub and toilet areas. -Place a rubber mat or nonskid strips on the bathtub/shower floor. -Leave the bathroom door unlocked so it can be opened from both sides. Kitchen -Avoid climbing and reaching for high shelves. -Use a stable step stool with handrails. -Arrange storage at counter level. -Clean up spills as soon as they happen and don’t wax floors. Living Area -Arrange furniture to provide an open pathway between rooms. -Remove low tables, footrests and other items from the pathway. -Keep electrical and telephone cords out of the pathway. Bedroom -Remove throw rugs, extension cords and other floor clutter. -Install a bedroom night-light. -Use a normal-height bed. -Before leaving your bed, sit on the edge for a time to make sure you are not dizzy. Footwear -Wear low-heeled or flat shoes with nonskid soles. -Tie shoes with a fairly snug fit are preferred and keep laces tied. -Avoid shoes with thick, heavy soles. WHAT TO DO IF YOU FALL Don’t panic. Assess the situation and determine if you are hurt. Slide or crawl along the floor to the nearest couch or chair and try to get up. If you can’t get up, call for help. If you are alone, crawl slowly to the telephone and call 911 for help. SOURCE: www.agmc.org/health6.htm ======================== :: JUST FOR FUN :: ======================== An elderly and wealthy gentleman had serious hearing problems for a number of years. He went to the doctor and the doctor was able to have him fitted for a set of hearing aids that allowed the gentleman to hear 100%. The elderly gentleman went back in a month to the doctor and the doctor said, 'Your hearing is perfect. Your family must be really pleased that you can hear again.' To which the gentleman said, 'Oh, I haven't told my family yet. I just sit around and listen to their conversations. I've already changed my will three times!' ======================== :: TIME-SAVING IDEA :: ======================== Emergency Papers If you had to leave your home quickly without any advance warning would you have time to collect all your important papers and documents? In an emergency, I hope that you are thinking about saving people and pets rather than checkbooks and insurance policies. The answer is to make and keep copies of your important papers at a location away from your home or office. Just placing your documents in a fireproof safe or box isn't going to do you any good if you aren't allowed back into an unsafe structure. Copies of the following documents should be included in the duplicate set: Birth certificates, social security cards, a list of credit card accounts and phone numbers, passports, citizenship papers, a list of insurance companies with policy numbers and phone numbers, a list of banks and account numbers, a list of safe deposit boxes and their contents, important family documents such as marriage and/or divorce papers, ownership papers for your car, home, real estate properties, stocks, investments, etc. In addition, you may want to throw in a spare set of keys, checks, credit cards, and some cash. You never know when a serious emergency will make it impossible for you to grab your purse or wallet on the way out. Make sure the person you ask to store these documents and items for you is trustworthy, and offer to do the same favor for them. Also, don't pick a neighbor, just in case their home or office is undergoing the same emergency that yours is! Hopefully you will never need the second set of documents, but if you do, the time you will save trying to get your life back in order will be immeasurable. =========================== :: COPYRIGHT INFORMATION :: =========================== Copyright 2003 - CCR Enterprises - All rights reserved in all countries. Reproduction of this material is prohibited in any form without prior permission. If you prefer not to receive the newsletter, simply reply to this message and type "Remove from Eliminate Clutter" in the Subject Line, or click on the removal link below:   Please Remove Me   If you have been forwarded this newsletter and would like to subscribe, simply reply to this message and type "Please add me to your Eliminate Clutter Newsletter" in the Subject Line, or click on the link below:   Please Subscribe Me