Preparation Panic Claims Another Victim

Creative Commons picture by Jasoon.

Phillip Smith was anticipating the fun and confusion of his next vacation so much that he had to cancel it. “I just got too freaked out” he explained. Many look forward to their vacation for months. Sometimes this leads to an increased level of excitement and preparation. Other times it is slow descent into panic.

“In retrospect it seems like it was the wrong decision” Philip said, “but the more I read about the possible pitfalls and adventures the more it seemed out of my league.” Philip was planning a trip to San Francisco with his wife of 12 years. They had the needed money. They had arrangements with airlines and hotels. However, he wasn’t sure he had the right bag or if he could properly avoid being mugged. “If I was mugged, how would I respond?” Philip wondered if he should go to the police, fight back, yell “thief” really loudly, or just pull out his sidearm and start shooting.

“I’ve seen those movies where the police turn out to be accomplices of the criminal. I wouldn’t be smart enough to figure that out. I could lose everything!”