Five in Five

It seems every time I turn on the news these past few weeks, someone has been asked to evacuate their home. Most recently the floods on the East Coast and the fires in Texas that have consumed 3.5 million acres of land this year have caused evacuations on a daily basis. These evacuations have resulted in many people grabbing their essentials and leaving most everything they own behind, in hopes all will be well when they return.

The fires in Texas have had a tremendous impact where I live. None have gotten close enough for an evacuation, but I can see the smoke from intense grass fires throughout the area. Having gone several months without measurable rain and the frequency of significant grass fires, an evacuation in our area is certainly a reality.

With that in mind, I started thinking about what I would take with me if someone knocked on my door and told me I had five minues to gather the essentials and leave. I walked from room to room in our house to determine what I would take. Aside from my wife and our dogs, I realized there are only a handful of things I would grab. We always think the loss of all our “things” would be devastating. In my case, there were five things I would grab on my way out.

So, here’s a question for you. If you got the knock on your door telling you to be ready to go in five minutes, what five things would you take with you (aside from your family)? You may be surprised by the answer.

Clint Swindall