I thought it was some psychological thing (if the plane fell out of the sky, youngest would be stocked).
So youngest and I spent a couple days running major errands. We restocked supplies, replaced worn items, etc.
As I popped back in and out of the house later in June and then July, we would continue to do the same.
Staying at our friends' house, last week, I was doing the same there (dust pan, tape measure, headphones, charger cord).
The week I stayed there in June, I was restocking toilet paper, paper towel, Kleenex.
I realized I am always in this proactive groove.
It bugs me to be out of basic things.
If something breaks, I replace immediately.
If the kids mention something, I take care of it immediately. Evidently if my friend's kids mention something, I am all over that too.
I have several thoughts about all of this.
The first thing is I try to stay on top of everything, so if there is an emergency, I can literally walk out the door. My bag stays packed. I keep cash on hand. My passport now lives in my packed luggage. (This state of readiness does not cause me anxiety. It is the opposite.)
The second thing is undone things accumulate exponentially. Maintenance on a house is the perfect example. Take care of house things regularly, it is still a lot. Leave things undone, get ready to sell, facing a nightmare mountain level of tasks that need to be done before house can be listed. Clutter is another example. It has to be addressed regularly or it just keeps expanding.
The third thing is life is stressful enough without having unreliable equipment. Things like headphones and charger cords are vital to daily life for kids, big kids, small kids, me too.
I want my kids to feel like I am a help, not a hindrance. I want them to feel like if they tell me something, it will not go in one ear and out the other.
And I tell them, if I don't take care of something right away, tell me again, because it means I have forgotten. Normal (honestly) is taking care of it that day or the next.
Every once in a while something comes up where they told me, I forgot, six months have passed, they bring it up again. Obviously these were not vital things. It is just incredible how quickly time passes. And how easily I can get busy with other things.
This started (with the kids) when they were little, because I would ask, pretty much every day, driving home from school, while we were still out and about, if they needed something for the next day. On Fridays I would ask if they needed something for the next week, or the week after that.
My kids are very, very proactive. And it reduces their stress level hugely. And it increases their possibilities hugely too. Because they are looking forward and are available to opportunities.
