I'd rather have one and not need it

"I'd rather have one and not need it..."
As people who carry concealed for self defense, we basically live by that saying.
We plan our wardrobe, our errands, our vacations, our leisure activities, and even our business matters around the whole idea of being prepared and making intentional, well thought-out decisions.
Think about how this applies to every aspect of your life- not just the fact that you carry a gun.
...or at least... how it should apply to the other aspects of your life- it's a mistake I had been making for the last year without even realizing it.
Exhibit A...
This morning, I sat down, fired up my laptop, and prepared for a productive day.
Things were going great, until about 10:30am, when I realized that my laptop was almost out of battery.
This would have been fine, except for my laptop was plugged in. I looked at the AC Adapter down on the floor, and the little green light was off.
"Bummer- I guess the breaker blew, or something.... but wait a minute- the lamp is still on." I thought.
So, I reached down to pick the adapter up- thinking that I must have somehow disconnected the wall-cord from the adapter unit.
The fingers on my left hand wrapped around the adapter, and about half a second later I realized that I was holding onto what felt like a piece of steel that had just been welded!! Ouch!
I hollered something and dropped it. Uh oh... it was fried.
Thankfully, the unit must have been designed to not harm the laptop in the event of a failure.
I hovered my mouse over the little battery icon.
"20 minutes remaining..."
That was when I started to freak out a little bit. See, my laptop is only a year old, and I have great support through Dell- but "great support" doesn't help me when they are based in Kansas, or wherever.
It hit me like a ton of bricks: My power supply was dead, and the BEST I could hope for from Dell would be for them to over-night a replacement. The WORST would be a 3 to 5 day delivery... and even if they did over night the replacement, my entire day, and probably most of my day tomorrow would be shot.
*Gulp*
I had planned for computer failure. I installed my operating system on a spare hard-drive and packed it into a fire-safe, so that if my drive died, I could just pop the spare in and go. I also back up my data every few days- and I thought that meant that I was covered.
But I had never considered the possibility of my power supply failing.
Without a power supply, all the preparations I had made were useless.
It was like the classic "all the food I can eat with no can-opener" sort of thing.
The point I'm trying to make here is that I'd like for you to take a step back, and think hard about all the areas in your life where you've made preparations or set up safe-guards, but may have overlooked some small detail.
Have you made an elaborate fire-escape plan, but never considered what to do if your escape route is somehow blocked?
Have you made self-sufficiency plans, but forgot to make a back-up plan for in case your generator breaks down?
Have you stocked up on ammunition and magazines, forgetting that springs and firing pins break, and bolt-carriers crack?
I'm not asking you to go overboard- but I certainty wouldn't consider having a second $60 power adapter for the laptop that you depend completely upon going overboard- would you?
How about a few spare parts for that rifle? Or a new set of gaskets, plugs, and wires for that generator? Or one of those ladders that you can throw out of your second story bedroom window to use as an alternate escape in case of a fire?
Thankfully, my failure to consider ALL possible failure-scenarios regarding my computer had a happy ending.
I found a computer store within one mile of my location where I could buy an adapter for $70, and had my laptop plugged back in before the battery had even died.
I am just glad I wasn't on an important trip...
Be safe, and plan soundly!