Safety On-The-Go

The other day, I ended up chatting with my neighbor over the fence in the backyard. As a result, I started cooking dinner later than I had anticipated.

What does this have to do with a first aid kit? Just give it a minute, okay?

Despite the late start, all was going well. I was making baked beans for a cookout-style dinner, and I’d prepped the veggies earlier, so it wasn’t a big deal. Only, as I waited for the pan to heat up, I remembered: shit! The bacon! So I grabbed it out of the fridge and rushed to snip open the packaging with a pair of kitchen shears. In my haste, I managed to cut a nice big flap out of my knuckle.

I tell this story to illustrate a pretty simple point: how easy it is to absolutely fuck yourself up.

I wasn’t rock-climbing without a harness, or paragliding through a canyon, or surfing waves as sharp and unpredictable as the stones along the beach. I was in a bit of a hurry, and I tried to open a plastic bag. Luckily, I did so at home, with full access to my closet of various bandaids, bandages, and other such necessities.

But, unluckily, this easily overwhelmed mind and easily sliced open body follows me everywhere I go.

Which is why I should invest in these first aid kits to stash in my and my spouse’s car, just in case I mess myself up further from home, whether it be while I’m hiking at a state park or (more realistically) when I’m heading into the grocery store and trip on the curb because I got distracted by a bird.

Hell, having a bunch of bandages and bandaids would be wonderful for all those times when I scratch my leg where I forgot there’s a scab there from a mosquito bite and then have to head into a convenience store looking like I have an exit wound in my left calf.

And, btw, it’s not just bandages and stuff to stop blood from coming out in these. There are also tongue depressors, some scissors, alcohol wipes, safety pins, a whole bunch of stuff. Like, 291 pieces in each, to be exact.

So get a couple, and take care of your stupid, breakable body wherever you are!