Michael Wade on being prepared.

The day is planned. Time is blocked out. You finally have the chance to catch up on things and then, well, you know what happens.

The expected unexpected arrives.

Fortunately, it was always in the back of your mind. You weren’t sure what form it would take but you knew that the odds of its non-appearance were small. That’s why you always book in some cushions. As the old line goes, it is better to have them and not need them than to need them and not have them.

It also reminds me of a Old West saying about having a revolver: you didn’t often need one but when you did, you needed it real bad.