The Owl Bag is in the Orange Toolbox

"The owl bag is in the orange toolbox," the text read.

Nope. This isn't where I reveal that we're part of an intriguing spy ring.

The owl bag is, in fact, a small insulated cosmetic bag which currently holds a glucagon kit, one-touch mini meter, strips, a lancet and a pouch of glucose gel.

The orange tool box is a standard-sized portable toolbox which holds a vast array of items useful for repairing band instruments. Screwdrivers of all sizes with screws to fit everything from a piccolo to a marimba, pliers and wires, glue and assorted tape, reeds, mouthpieces and so much more are all housed in this very heavy toolbox which travels to the field for every rehearsal and with the band for every game, competition and concert.

We turned over the owl bag before summer band rehearsals began for freshman year. Over the course of that first year, it could be found in the director's desk drawer, in his messenger bag and on the sidelines of the football field. Last summer, at the start of summer rehearsals, I received the above cryptic text from my daughter. The band director, wisely we think, decided that if the owl bag was always in the orange toolbox, then it would always be in close proximity to the band.

We removed the owl bag from the toolbox and handed it over to the nurse who went on the recent overnight music department trip. It held just the right collection of things the nurse needed to carry. The day the kids returned to school post-trip, I was reassured by a mid-day text from my daughter:

"The owl bag is back in the orange toolbox."

Mission accomplished.

Prepared?

With the news from Belgium on in the background this week, I'm reminded of a question I've considered and dismissed several times over the past few years:

Is my daughter, at any given time, prepared to 'shelter in place,' or to be displaced?

In this increasingly dangerous world where bombings, mass shootings, terror threats and other such events are becoming commonplace, it's question worth considering.

In her school classrooms, she has a meter and its assorted equipment, one juice box and a roll of glucose tabs.  She carries these items with her throughout the day. Would that be enough for a six hour lockdown?

When we travel to the city for the day to see a show or visit a museum, we have double those supplies and usually a small snack.  What if we were told to shelter in place due to an event near our location?

When we go away for a weekend, we take twice the number of supplies we think will need for the days we're away, and a vial of lantus and a pack of 10 syringes in case the pump fails.  What if something happened which stranded us from home for much longer than expected?

Then there are the days when we run to Staples and forget to bring even the meter kit.  Or go for a half mile round-trip walk to the library with only a tiny box of nerds stashed in a pocket, just in case.  What if we were unexpectedly detained?

I don't like to consider these questions.  Dwelling on the scariness of the world in which my child is growing up isn't on my to-do list.  Carrying a bigger bag of stuff in case of an event I desperately hope will never happen seems like a burden which might outweigh the risk.

But maybe there should be extra snacks and spare test strips in her pencil case.  And maybe we should have spare insulin and a few granola bars with us when we're away from home for the day.   And maybe we should always have at least the meter with us even when we're walking a neighbor home who lives only a block away.  And maybe every road trip should involve a really big box of supplies.

But maybe I don't want to think about it.

Prepared

I spent some time emptying and organizing my purse before we traveled last month.  Apparently it the project was overdue.

In my purse, I was carrying:

2 juice boxes

3 boxes of nerds

2 spare vials of test strips

a bag of goldfish crackers

3 rolls of smarties

an empty glucose tab container

approximately 20 used test strips and

a glucagon kit.

I believe in being prepared with supplies for my child.  But this was a little too much.  Especially since as she's getting older she brings her own bag for day-trips and bigger adventures. The stuff in my purse is now just for quick local excursions, or as back-up to what she's packed.

But if I ever get stuck in an elevator, I'll be in good shape.