Eat the Philly

First off, I must apologize to my good friend known by the bloging moniker Sans Auto. This post is going to make you wonder who's hijacked this blog.

A little background about me: I've had a green streak for a long time. Socially/religiously, I'm quite conservative. Still, I've been drawn to those who place a high priority on being environmentally conservative. Too often, these values seem to be mutually exclusive, and that's unfortunate. I think one ought to be able to bike to work, recycle, AND be pro-traditional marriage and pro-life, but it's unusual.

As you can see by many of my recent posts, we just went through a horrific storm that caused all kinds of damage. Having four days off the grid gives you some time to think. And, you get a little messed up when the only way you can sleep is if you put an earplug in so you don't hear the awful sounds your house is making.

This storm was unprecedented. Quoting from The Office of Washington State Climatologist (full technical article with a cool map of measured windspeeds here):

"A truly historic event. Over a period of two days, two separate storms lashed the coast with an incessant onslaught of hurricane-force gusts and heavy rain. The region between approximately Newport, OR, and Hoquiam, WA, received the strongest gale since the great Columbus Day Storm of 1962. However, though the 1962 storm proves stronger in overall wind speed, the December 1-3, 2007 gale completely outclasses the Columbus Day Storm, and any other windstorm on record, in terms of the duration of high winds."

One thought really seemed to sink in for me as my family and I spent lots of unscheduled time together. Nature's fury can take every object around us away. The house, the cars, the computers . . . none of it is permanent. I realized that if the house collapsed on all of us, the only thing we'd still have is each other (like I said, I'm religious). How solid are the relationships I have with them? They're who I plan to (and will, if I'm the person God expects me to be) hang out with FOREVER. Haven't I misappropriated my time, dumping hours and hours into things that can disappear in an instant? I believe I have, and to some extent must continue to do so (somebody's got to pay the mortgage). But with this new awareness, I realize that I need to rearrange my priorities.

I believe the climate is changing (you know, the whole "global warming" thing). What changed for me with this storm, though, is my opinion as to what I can do about it. In the past I've given a lot of thought and reading time to lots of environmental topics with the thought that it would be really cool to have a wind turbine, solar panels, an electric car, and so on. But when the winds howl so hard it would break your turbine and rip the solar panels off (along with your roof), that seems less of a good investment. Plus, an electric car would not be very effective at helping you escape through floodwaters (although it might help jolt you quickly out of your misery).

One aspect of climate change theory is what's called the "tipping point". In the March 26, 2006 Time, Jeffrey Kluger put it this way (full article here):

"Environmentalists and lawmakers spent years shouting at one another about whether the grim forecasts were true, but in the past five years or so, the serious debate has quietly ended. Global warming, even most skeptics have concluded, is the real deal, and human activity has been causing it. If there was any consolation, it was that the glacial pace of nature would give us decades or even centuries to sort out the problem.
But glaciers, it turns out, can move with surprising speed, and so can nature. What few people reckoned on was that global climate systems are booby-trapped with tipping points and feedback loops, thresholds past which the slow creep of environmental decay gives way to sudden and self-perpetuating collapse. Pump enough CO2 into the sky, and that last part per million of greenhouse gas behaves like the 212th degree Fahrenheit that turns a pot of hot water into a plume of billowing steam. Melt enough Greenland ice, and you reach the point at which you're not simply dripping meltwater into the sea but dumping whole glaciers."

I think we're there. Or, if we're NOT quite there, I believe there's no way to convince enough people soon enough that it'll make a difference. Pessimistic perhaps, but it's my new fatalistic environmental outlook (remember Sans, I said sorry at the top). In short, I now feel the need to personally focus LESS on PREVENTION OF environmental crisis and more on PREPAREDNESS FOR it. It's no longer a matter if IF for me but WHEN and HOW OFTEN. Instead of springing for those solar panels, for example, I'd now spend my money on stored water, food, fuel, and so on. I plan to also invest in obtaining containers to keep important documents and photos safe, obtaining and combining emergency/camping supplies and clothing into one readily-accessible container, getting a 2-meter Ham radio (the last storm took the landlines AND the cell lines down completely for days) and so on.

Many of you out there may have heard about our area's recent mudslide (story and some photos here). Apparently it happened at about noon on Tuesday, which means my family and I drove on that stretch of road less than 48 hours prior. This has rattled me a little bit too. I'm really feeling like if nature wants me, it's going to take me out. I should try hard to be prepared, but if I'm on the list then it's over (there's my new environmentally fatalistic streak rearing it's ugly head again). And this leads me to the explanation for the title of this post. One of my favorite lunches is the grilled Philly Cheesesteak sandwich at Safeway in Astoria. If you throw them an extra buck-fifty, they'll also give you an oversized soda and a bag of chips. This meal is really good, and really NOT good (for me). Still, I crack from time to time and somewhat guiltily partake.

Now, I'm just going to enjoy it, beause I've asked myself, "Self, when you're lying under the rubble that was your house (or about to be swallowed by the tsunami, swept away by the mudflow, etc.), will you be glad you had that lettuce wrap when you could've had the Philly?" The answer, of course, is no. So, I'm going to eat the Philly.

How far am I going to go with this? Well, for starters, I'm with Sans on the idea of stewardship (some of his recent comments, partly on this topic, are here). So, I will continue to strive for fuel-efficiency, turn off lights I'm not using (and bug my kids to do so), recycle (even if I have to take the junk mail to recycle at work), sparingly water my yard strategically, keep the thermostat at 65, and use reusable shopping bags. But, I'm going to lack the urgent zeal I used to have. Now it's feeling more like straightening the deck chairs on the titanic. I mean, straight chairs are nice, but the ship's still going down.

This acceptance isn't all bad, though. I will be better prepared for the disasters that I fully expect will come. I might even move to higher ground (I live about 35 feet above sea level on sand on a peninsula . . . yikes! I expect an earthquake will cause the house to sink (liquefaction) before the tsunami and flooding wash over what's left of it). I will treasure each day more, and I will spend more time working at becoming the best husband, father, and Christian I can be. These are the attributes and people that are timeless. And, I'm still going to exercise. I just feel better when I do, and I plan to feel good and enjoy life until the time comes that nature cries "Uno!" and throws down the last card. I might even resume riding 14-18 miles to work, but I won't do it with the illusion that I'm saving much more than money.

On the other hand, I will not overstress when I hear people at work talking about shopping at WalMart or burning their trash (you Knappa people know who you are). It will elevate my blood pressure only slightly when I see that someone has thrown away a pop can. When I see the big SUVs around town, I'll still despise them to some extent. But, I'll now appreciate their horsepower, ground clearance, and four-wheel-drive for the emergency preparedness assets they are.

In short, my focus has shifted. I will enjoy my family more. I will enjoy life more. I will be an extra good person. And, I will eat the Philly.