July fourth we had an epic wind storm.
After we got home from fireworks, my husband found me dashing about our back deck battening down the hatches as I like to call it. Y’all know I’m a sailor at heart.
I was tossing back cushions into the living room, stowing away the throw pillows on the shelves in our outdoor bar, putting the rocking chair on its side, ensuring our outdoor shades were up (they don’t do well in the wind).
Not long after we sat down for a quick tv show then the wind started.
We get crazy winds off the bay but this was next level. Definitely hit the top 5 for storms we’re had since living here.
Bob thought we should check the grill since things were banging around outside.
As we came in, the large heavy fishing cooler (we don’t fish, we use it for beer - lol) flew across the back deck toward the steps down. Bob leaned into the wind to retrieve it while I pulled it into the house. I couldn’t even stand on that deck the winds were so high.
If I hadn’t prepared, the last minute shuffle would have been far more onerous.
Preparing before the storm is always a good plan.
But somehow most of us wait for a crisis before we organize the parts of life that matter most.
Case in point -
When I was diagnosed with breast cancer in 2015, we were woefully unprepared. We had wills and health directives but if the outcome had been different there would have been a whole host of mess left for Bob.
I swore that after I got well, I would get on it.
And we have.
But we moved to a new state and that opened up an entirely different can of worms.
If you live in the US, be aware that not every law is the same in every state.
Last summer, I talked a lot about what it means to mend the nets around work.
This summer, my clients and I are working on the home nets.
The ones that hold you when you fall even metaphorically.
The ones that ensure that one more stress isn’t added to your family as they make decisions for you.
Because by the end of this summer, you’ll have written that down (some lists, some legal). All easily findable by your designated family members.
Seriously, you don’t want to be deciding if your family member should be on life support when they can’t tell you. That’s a needless and painful burden.
After my in-laws passed, I asked my parents to write down the circumstances in which they would want life support and when they did not. That’s a super hard conversation. After all, who wants to talk about death? But these conversations are necessary.
The greatest gift you can give your family isn’t having everything perfect (believe me this is a process). It’s making sure someone else isn’t searching for the answers or just guessing and maybe guessing wrong. Also when they guess they also have to live with their decisions.
This kind of preparation isn’t about being a "productivity superhero" or chasing a "magical land of perfect". It’s about intentional preparation over frantic productivity. It’s about looking at these heavy, often avoided "home nets", the wills, the health directives, the financial lists, and realizing that tending to them now is the ultimate act of love for your family.
As neurozesty women, we already know that our executive function is the first thing to glitch when a crisis hits. By mending these home nets now, during the relatively calm "pause" of summer, you are doing a massive favor for Future You: the version of you who will be too tired, too grieved, or too overwhelmed to search for answers later.
Don’t wait for the storm to reach next-level intensity. You don’t have to do it all this afternoon.
Pick one small home net to mend this week.
Maybe it’s just finding where the current will is kept, or writing down a few notes about your wishes for medical care or calling your lawyer to make a future appointment.
You aren't failing—you’re just brilliant and differently wired, and you deserve a life that actually fits your energy instead of a system that constantly highlights where you’re 'not enough.
Let’s get those hatches battened down together, one tab at a time.
Want support? Ask me about our Get More Done accountability group.
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