Thursday, November 12, 2015

What will you grab before your house burns down?

What will you grab from your home if you have 2 minutes before your whole house gets burned down? I watched this interesting clip on Youtube, called Tiny House Nation. It's a sneak preview of this particular episode 5 in season 1, where a couple had their house burned down to ashes. The husband was away but the wife was at home when it happened.




When she realised that the fire cannot be put out, she had to rush within minutes to grab literally a handful of personal items while she still can. As she was in a panic, she realised that she was grabbing her computer screen in her arms without thinking. When she realised how silly that was, she stopped and let it go so that she can quickly get those items that are really important to her.




Let's pause for a while and think about what items you will grab should this unfortunate event happen to you. As we go through life, we accumulate more and more stuff into our lives, without really reflecting on whether they are important or useful to us. An involuntary event that forces us to prioritize what is important might not be such an unfortunate event afterall.


So, what's the 'grab-in-emergency' items you will take from your home? Take a moment and reflect on this question.


For her, she brought along these items:

1. Her husband's down slippers (those feathery stuff you used to put inside hotel pillows)

2. Her husbands's jacket, which he had since high school that is of great comfort and nostalgia for him

3. Her own pillow, which is bought around 1960s from her grandparent's house. She had to sleep with it everyday

4. Her leopard soft toy which she had to have in order to sleep. A dear friend of theirs who got cancer bought it for her and she had that for the longest time.


Like someone who survives a life threatening illness, this sort of involuntary event will jolt you out of the daily grind of life and force you to prioritize what's truly important to you. If you see it positively, it's a lesson that the universe is trying to get you to wake up from your slumber. Let's not wait for such an event to sort out our lives because if we're aware of it, we can actually do it right now.

14 comments :

Createwealth8888 said...

In office, every staff will have pre-determined Grab List during fire. LOL!

At home, we will grab our small metal safebox where all important documents are kept.

Dividend Knight said...

If I have 2 minutes, base on my instincts, I will probably just grab my handphone and wallet before dashing out of the burning house.

Anonymous said...

I may be paranoid but I actually have a bright orange Pelican case in the bomb shelter that contains all the important documents! It's my emergency grab and go case. LOL!

Rolf Suey said...

Hi LP,

I m more Kiasi, if only me alone, grab big cloth n quickly soak with water to cover mouth.

Hp is important to stay in contact if I get out!

Nothing more impt than life n family, if u almost see the hades of hell before!

Sillyinvestor said...

LP,

Apart from grabbing family, just my wallet, phone and car keys.

All documents can be restated... I dun keep gold bars at home, I dun even own them LOL

My fire insurance include furniture.

Lol. Actually when u ask me this qn, my mental image is

"Hoho, wife and son, let's go to the hotel for a night or two first. LOL"

Siao!

GP Blogger said...

I read the article & then thought for a long time. Except for the usual things like handphone wallet, NRIc, keys, bank token, & my family I could not think of anything else.

There are lots of things which have emotional value but it is difficult to pick one over the other as all memories are precious.

Second part is more tough, sort of like a bucket list & frankly speaking I do not have one.

Time to get one..

Thanks for a great post

la papillion said...

Hi bro8888,

Haha, in a real emergency, I wouldn't be grabbing documents...I'll make sure I bring along things that are of great memory to me. Surprising, there's nothing much that I would miss if I have to leave anything behind. It's great good for thought.

la papillion said...

Hi DK,

Yah, likewise. I'll add 2 pillows that I had been using since I'm a kid. Those are of great importance to me, LOL! With everything on cloud storage, it's really way easier lol

la papillion said...

Hi anonymous,

You have a prep-to-go bag, good for you! Some of my friends even have a bug out bag. Must had been watching those survivor shows too much haha :)

la papillion said...

Hi Rolf,

Agree with you. Grab family members first and the rest can wait. Prioritize living things first before material things. Hopefully this exercise can make pple realise what's truly impt to them without having to go thru an actual scenario!

la papillion said...

Hi SI,

Hey, you know what, you're not the only one! I think we're too cool lol

Those hotel serviced apartments should be a good bet, hehe

la papillion said...

Hi GP blogger,

You're welcome :) I think this exercise is impt because when we go through daily lives, we never sit and reflect on the clutter that accumulates in our house. Sometimes maybe your family members accidentally lost or break a gadget, then we get all upset. It's really silly, if we really think about what's truly at stake.

Anonymous said...

Hi LP

I will grab the water hose. Did I failed the exercise? :)

Guess since I am alone in that scenario, I will grab my wallets, hp, passport and my documents (academic documents and insurance). The rest are easily retrievable. I do spring cleaning every week/month. So I know exactly what I have at home and quite neat to access them, minimalist. :P

la papillion said...

Hi FD,

No lah, no correct or wrong answers :)

It's not so much about the answers that is important - it's the thought process of going through each of your possessions to see which of them are important enough for you to save when a fire is burning in your house. Is there too much nonsense? Or are you a minimalist :)

You really have water hose in your home ah? Haha, i only have buckets!