Is today the day the world ends?

Some days I wonder if other people worry about the end of the world like I do. There are so many shows and movies. All kinds of ways for the world to end; Zombies, Disease, Aliens, War, Meteors, Climate change, Infertility, Bombs that you never see coming.

There seem to be so many more cataclysmic events lately, more every year. Tornadoes, Hurricanes, Floods, Tsunami's, Earthquakes, Volcanoes, etc, etc. Does anyone not know someone who has been hit by one of these? I do. I know people who have lost everything they had, home, memories, pets. Have all these things always been this bad and maybe we're just more in-tuned to it now? Media channels are wider, death and destruction equals higher ratings, social media allows for more personal and direct access to the front lines? I don't know, but I don't think that's the only thing. I think things really are worse. And then there's people. All those panicky people. All those angry people, with weapons. Big weapons. And a massive, misplaced, self centered, sense of entitlement.

I worry.

Partially about a devastating sweep of natural events.

Mostly about what people can do to each other, willingly, knowingly, with direct and purposeful intent.

I worry about the election. There are so many people who are so very polarized on today's vote. Will this be the year that someone out there will decide, 'it's my way or no way' and blow something else up should their candidate lose? Am I paranoid for thinking that? I don't know. People have done more over less.

Now, I do not have a panic room in my house and I do not have stores of water and canned goods or an emergency zombie attack kit in my car glove compartment. But I will admit that yesterday I made sure both of our cars have full tanks of gas and my weekend grocery shopping was a little heavier on the nonperishables than normal and I have two full bags of dog food.

I do feel slightly foolish. Most of me knows the unlikelihood of any such event. Most of me knows the world is not going to end tonight, or tomorrow, or next week. Most of me knows, but part of me worries. Is this a complete bastardization of 'Always Be Prepared?' Probably.

But in the back of my head, I know what I would pack, for me, for my daughter. What items are higher priority and what gets left behind. I know what I would grab at the grocery store. I know my house is completely indefensible and I know where I would go.

And I would probably never admit to anyone else that I think these things and am only admitting it here in anonymity.

Oh, and I totally have my Post-Apocalypse outfit picked out.