Getting Ready For Hurricane Season: Lindsay? 0 Life Jacket? 1

It’s coming…and it’s not Santa Claus. The 2011 Hurricane season starts June 1^st, which is just around the corner. I’ve got to admit that I’m a little bit nervous due to the current flooding issues in Louisiana. How will hurricane season impact Louisiana levees? I guess only time will tell…but in the meantime, we need to focus on being prepared for what’s around the corner. Last week, I found myself in Academy Sports trying on life jackets. I can’t remember the last time I wore a life jacket but if I had to guess, I would say it’s been at least ten years.

I managed to get myself into a pink cozy jacket and almost laughed myself into a corner while trying to get out of it. It was bulky and so snug (aka too small) that I couldn’t reach my arm around to get it off. I started looking for hangers, hooks…anything that I could use to hook the top part of the jacket on to give me a little more pulling room. I kept trying to reach around to pull the back off of my shoulders and eventually found myself going in circles. People would walk and glance down the aisle and I played it off, pretending to be trying the thing on. Acting like I was fooling with the strap, I would ask my son…”You think pink is my color?”

I tried to be cool in front of my four-year-old but I knew the gig was up when he told me that I was too big for the pink choker. It was an awkward, funny situation and I finally had to throw in the towel and ask the little one for help. He started trying to pull the jacket off with only one hand but it wasn’t happening so I encouraged him to use both. Both of his hands were at the top of the jacket, his feet almost dangling and I had to do the tango to get out of the darn thing. So, I wiggled from left to right while he was pulling down and eventually I made it out…alive.

Later on that day, I told my friends about my life jacket purchase and they laughed at me because they thought I was overreacting about the flooding in Louisiana. Of course, I left the part out about almost losing my life to a life jacket. I think I’d rather be known for being tackled by a life jacket then being tackled by a natural disaster. Hey, one can never be too prepared, right?