The day was like any other Monday. I headed out the door in the pre-sunrise moments to get a hike in and clear my head for the day ahead. My wife and daughter had taken our puppy dog on a walk about the same time. Everything was humming along as they made breakfast and I worked on the coffee. Pour overs take some time and dedication to the craft you know.
I decided to delay my shower that morning so that we could get to breakfast faster since we were all hungry after being outside a bit. We sat down for some scrambled eggs and toast talking about what we had seen as the sun rose that morning. Out of the blue, my daughter said her head hurt and turned as pale as a ghost. In that moment, my wife popped from her seat to grab her.
Fortunately, that prevented her from falling to the floor where she could have banged her head on the tile. But it did not prevent what we witnessed as parents over the next few moments. The vivacious soon to be 7th grader passed out. My wife and I gingerly lowered her to the floor and cradled her head as she presented seizure-like symptoms for what seemed like an eternity. This dad was terrified at what was occurring.
The Concept Of De-Risking Life Is Impossible
Now that I have your attention, let's talk about what this moment means to this dad and husband. By day, I run Insurance For Texans. We help Texans just like you find ways to eliminate the financial risks that you face as an individual, family, or business. Our job is to help you understand what you personally have at risk based on your activities, goals, and financial situation. We pride ourselves on making sure that a bad moment doesn't result in a bad future.
The rest of my job is to provide for and take care of my family of four. My wife having recently retired from her private practice as a pediatrician meant that I didn't have to have all of the answers for a medical emergency, but I can promise you that it really didn't lower my pulse or blood pressure as I watched her eyes flutter in her head as we lowered to the floor.
What should I have done differently? How could I eliminate this risk as we continue to explore the area around our new home? What did I do wrong as the protector of a bright, vibrant young lady? I spend all day trying to answer these questions for others, and here I sat helpless on my kitchen floor wondering what would happen next.
The cold, harsh reality is that I cannot eliminate all risk from life for any of us. Even for my sweet baby girl.
What Do We Do With Risk?
While it seemed like an eternity, a few moments later she "came to". Her body relaxed. The headache was still there, but she appeared to be fine. Her problem was a simple one. She wasn't drinking enough water for the summer heat and altitude we live at. Dehydration had caught up with her and manifested in an autonomic response to protect her body. The fix was simple and we made her drink everything possible the rest of that day.
But the parallel to how we handle the rest of life was pretty obvious to me as the day wore on. It was just a Monday. It had a major event that scared me to death as we sat on the floor of our house.
The solution was relatively simple. But in all my attempts to be a good dad, I couldn't prevent what occurred. I had not de-risked life completely and felt in some ways like a failure. Why had I not leaned on her to drink more water?
When we are offering insurance solutions to you, your family, or your business, we are trying to minimize the effect of things that surprise you in life. We are trying to make sure that you are drinking enough water so that you do not wind up passing out at breakfast with your family. Some of those solutions aren't very sexy. I mean, most of us don't love drinking loads of water everyday if we are being honest. But they are good and necessary for us to thrive.
How To Make Risk Less Painful
As you look at how you are navigating your life or your business, it is vitally important for you to work with someone who has your best interest at heart. Sort of a risk advisor dad that makes you drink water even when you don't want to.
My daughter is fine today. She has a known predisposition to an overly enthusiastic vasovagal response just like her old man. It's how I ended up with a pacemaker over three decades ago, but that is a story about de-risking for another day. We just have to keep moving her forward and understanding that fluids are more important than she may realize.
When the independent insurance agents are asking you questions and probing for information, it is to make sure that we understand if you have an overly enthusiastic vasovagal response in your life or business. We want to make sure that you are drinking enough water so that you don't need other help in overcoming the inherent risk that you possess. Let us help you by getting great information so that we can provide great recommendations to help you de-risk your as much as possible.
Click the button below to talk to people who speak Texan like you, and understand how to de-risk your situation so that you can enjoy the scrambled eggs and toast with your family.
