Planning ahead is important

I’d like to take a few minutes to talk about organization and planning.

The people who want to devote time and energy to planning ahead often have a tough road, because we all tend to be much more focused on the moment.

The worries we have now, the deadlines we already have, the chores at home we haven’t gotten to, those are all much more present in our worries than the possible disasters that may befall us later, or the big projects coming down the road.

But when those plans are needed, it’s a good reminder of why that work is important. And a good time to thank those who spend their energy looking ahead at what may be needed.

This week is a prime example of that.

I don’t think any of us expected to get over 4 inches of rain in four hours on Wednesday.

It came just as months of planning were about to culminate for thousands of people to start arriving for Rock the Country.

Fortunately, our first responders and emergency management planners, as well as city and county officials, have been looking ahead.

RVs were quickly rerouted from an area made inaccessible by the heavy rains to the Black River Coliseum parking lot.

Other planning and communication is taking place ahead of this event as well, with law enforcement and others. As I write this column on Friday morning, it’s too early to say how well all of that has come together or what other unexpected circumstances may have come up.

But I would like to thank everyone, more than I or the public knows, I’m sure, for the work that goes into planning and staging these big events.

We also saw it with the eclipse just a few months ago.

So the next time someone starts talking about something weeks or months down the road, or tries to make a plan for something that seems unlikely, show them a little patience and give them a little attention.

Those people are the reason there isn’t more chaos in our lives.

Donna Farley is editor of the Daily American Republic. She can be reached at dfarley@darnews.com.