5 Ways Not to Die

This week has been fairly eye opening when it comes to health/injury/death prevention stuff.  My work varies from deep conversations with our accountant to interesting conversations with coroners and everyone in between.  So far this week I've learned...

1. Don't fall, especially if you are old.  Also this week, I learned that I fall into the "old" category as many injury prevention programs that target falls in the elderly are designed for those over 50(!).  Here is a good resource for falls prevention but it basically boils down to staying healthy and physically fit, managing chronic disease, and removing trip and fall hazards in your home.  
2. Don't do street drugs.  Period.  When I was a teen, drugs were pretty prevalent but back then, when you bought marijuana, you got marijuana and when you bought speed, you got speed.  Apparently these days, even something as simple as marijuana is can be laced with fentanyl to "increase the high".  Unfortunately this often has the side effect of causing death.  The coroner I talked to today said many overdose deaths (which are increasing at a rapid pace) are due to combinations of drugs that people may not even know they are ingesting because "everything but the kitchen sink is being cobbled together and sold as specific drugs" even if that specific drug is only a tiny part of the combination used to make the drug in order to produce a higher high.  Yikes.
3. Have a bug out bag prepped and ready to go at a moment's notice.  I heard numerous sirens last night so I texted my neighbor and she told me that SWAT had a street a couple blocks away locked down.  Apparently the barricade and stand-off lasted for hours and several nearby neighbors were evacuated because if anyone started shooting, these innocent people could have been toast.  At least if you have a bug out bag, your emergency evacuation will go much smoother and you will have everything you need to spend hours (even a night or more) away from home in marginal comfort.
4. It's fire season and that means several things including dangerous air quality, wildfire evacuations (yet another reason to have a bug out bag as well as a good route out of town), and preparing your home for wildfire season.
5. Finally, watch out for crazy people which is easier said than done.  The news lately is just awful and filled with so many (unexpected) ways to die from road rage to nasty neighbors to being an innocent bystander when someone starts shooting.