When I think back to my younger years, I am baffled by how I lived with such abandon, not even considering the dangers that lurk around every corner. Maybe my way of thinking has changed because I'm now a mom or maybe my change in thinking is a result of age and maturity, but I often find my mind wandering to the "what-ifs."

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What if I'm driving and go off the road and don't have enough gas in the car to leave it running so that I don't freeze before help can get to me? What if I only have half a tank of gas when I run off the road and it isn't enough to keep me warm? What if I'm out for a walk in the woods behind my house and somehow get confused about where I am and get lost? What if while I'm lost in the woods I can't get ahold of anyone and my battery isn't going to last much longer?

I am a consumate worrier. If there were an award for worrying, I would be the winner of it which clearly shows that I'm really bad at taking the advice of my life verse which is Philippians 4:6-7. I worry, overthink, and then exhaust my brain trying to think of ways to solve any potential what-if problems before they've even happened so that if they ever do (and let's be realistic, they probably won't), I'm prepared.

Well, one thing I won't have to worry about is the what-if of if I'm lost in the woods or out for a hike with a nearly dead battery (I wouldn't ever go for a hike with a dead battery so I don't know why I've ever let this what-if enter my mind). One of my friends offered the suggestion that if I'm not in any real danger (because obviously if there were injuries, I'd call 911), I should change my phone voicemail so that if my phone dies and someone returns my call, they would know where I went for a walk, what clothes I'm wearing, what day and time it is, and so forth. I think she was just trying to give me a solution because I was unloading my what-if scenarios on her and frankly, they're exhausting.

I think another time this idea would come in really handy would be if a person were in an area where natural disaster was imminent and they couldn't get away. Say flooding, hurricane, or even tornado. Before the power goes out taking away your chance to charge your cell battery, you could change your voicemail to let callers know your location and that you're okay and prepared which might ease their fears if they can't get in touch with you after the fact.

Keep in mind though - if you're in a situation where your battery is dying AND you have no cell service, you won't be able to update your voicemail message because you need cell service to do so.

Naysayers will say that a person should never put themselves in a situation where they head out on a walk or hike or let their battery run down when they know bad weather is coming. To them I say, stranger things have happened!

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