How many times have you heard people say “It can’t happen here…” after something bad or unexpected takes place in their neighborhood.

Guess what, it can happen here!

Case in point, my quiet neighborhood just the other day. I came home from work to the sight of six police cruisers, a K-9 unit, and a police helicopter circling overhead. I have no idea what the situation was all about but apparently it was serious enough to involve a bunch of police assets.  Keep in mind that I live in a golf course community in a nice section of town populated by middle-class families and wealthy retirees.

Bad things will happen no matter where you live, no matter what your income, no matter what the color of your skin is, no matter what god you worship, and regardless of your age.  Even though normalcy bias conditions us to think otherwise, bad things happen everywhere.  If you take this into account, you can be ready for the unexpected and be better prepared to handle the situation.  For the most part, “security” and “normalcy” are just abstract concepts that reside in our minds.  The reality is, even in “safe” neighborhoods like mine, the unexpected can happen at any time.

Plan accordingly…