Thank You Dr. Dinar

My Bags Are Packed  by Dr. Dinar

So here we are, in week 341 of this global stay-at-home shutdown thing, and if you're anything like me, you're pretty much losing your mind.

Or what's left of your mind, anyway.

I know I sure am.

All of this mandatory do-nothingness is really taking a toll on... on... on my do somethingness.

That's not to say I'd be doing anything different this weekend than I'm already doing.

But it sure would be nice to do nothing because I wanted to.

Not because someone somewhere says I have to.

Well, they didn't actually say I shouldn't do anything but their suggestions of what to do aren't the most exciting.

Nor are they exactly a one-size-fits-all menu of fun filled items.

Nope. Basically it's a laundry list of items from someones imaginary Honey-Do list.

A bunch of things that would be nice to get done when time permits.

Fortunately, at least up until now anyway, I didn't have the time.

Unfortunately, now that I have the time, I no longer have the built-in excuse of not having enough time.

Funny how that works, isn't it.

Grabbing a nearby pad of paper, I began to jot down a few items.

You know, a few of the usuals.

Things like mow the lawn, rake the leaves, repaint Sheryl's She-Shed.

Basic stuff like that.

Okay, list in hand, I was off and runnin'.

Well, at least until I opened the front door, anyway.

YIKES! Major meltdown!

As Walter Matthau would say, "We're havin' a heatwave!"

Looks like they win again.

Guess it's gonna be an inside job kinda day.

Once again, pen and paper in hand, let the scribblin' begin.

Okay... let the scribblin' begin.

One more time, start scribblin'.

And... nothin'.

The more I attempted to focus on creating a list, the less things I could think of to fill the list.

Sure, there were the typicals like doing the dishes, laundering some laundry, sweeping various sweepable areas.

Once again, the usual.

Not only did everything on the list spell BORING, nearly everything inside required some part of it being done outside.

Even if only to grab a few of the necessary implements required to complete these tedious tasks, it still required a trip outdoors.

And since I had already determined outside was off limits, especially with a mandatory mask involved, it was once again time to rethink the list.

Perhaps what I needed was more of a directionally strategic approach.

As in a left to right, North to South, front to back type of thing.

But exactly how would that work, knowing there were areas that I wanted to avoid.

Didn't take me long to realize that wouldn't work.

The hodge podge randomizer method wasn't going to get it done either.

A quick glance at the clock and I realized I was already an hour into the indecision process.

Meaning if I didn't make a decision very soon, there wouldn't be a decision made.

Of any sort.

As I continued to contemplate this dilemma, I noticed that my feet were becoming increasingly uncomfortable.

Ah ha! Having previously planned to work outdoors, I'd already put on my outside shoes.

And they weren't gonna cut it on an inside job.

No way. I needed my trusty flip flops if I was gonna tackle anything indoors.

So it was off to the hall closet I went, knowing my summer slippers were waiting for me, looking forward to their time to shine.

Opening the door, first thing I noticed was just how dark it was in there.

Feeling around on the wall just inside the door sill, I quickly found the switch.

Upon flipping the switch, the light was on.

And then, even quicker than it was on, it was off.

What the hay!

Sheesh, that didn't last long.

Have you ever noticed how a light bulb never goes out during usage.

It's only a split second after it's clicked on that it goes out.

It's no wonder so many projects get sidetracked and never reach completion.

Quickly reassessing the situation, knowing that light would be mandatory, how best to go about this.

Quickly realizing those oh so high ceilings I love so much in the living room also extend to the hall closet means a bulb change will require lots of work.

Which will also require lots of time.

Time I just don't have.

Not if I want to accomplish anything at all today.

Not to mention it will require a trip out to the garage to get the ladder.

Which will require once again putting on the very same shoes I just removed.

Talk about one step forward, three steps back.

Nobody has time for that.

Especially not me.

Look how much time it's taken me to get to this point.

And I still haven't gotten anything done.

Okay, so replacing the light bulb is out.

Off to the kitchen I go in search of my trusty flashlight.

I so enjoy being prepared in an emergency and fortunately I know exactly which drawer it's in.

Sliding the drawer open, there she is, in all her glory.

Woo Hoo, back in action without a hitch, off to the hall closet I go.

Click... click... click! And... nothing.

Are you kidding me!?!

Yes, I found the flashlight.

No, I hadn't replaced the batteries in like... well, I couldn't remember in how long.

Okay, so the flashlight was out. Literally.

Thinking quickly on my bare feet, what's my next best option.

Shoes back on, a skin fried trip back outside to a garage that was pretty much guaranteed to be even hotter than it was outside in the direct sun.

Nope. There had to be a better way.

Once again, thinking fast on my feet, what about putting my phone in flashlight mode.

Not the best nor the brightest but it should work well enough to scrounge around for my flip flops.

Settings... scroll... scroll... scroll... click... click... click..., let there be light!

Okay then, I'm back in action.

Off to the closet I go. Again.

Fortunately for me, I know they're in here. Somewhere.

At least I think they are, anyway.

Let's put it this way. They should be.

So far though, no luck.

Peeling back the various jackets, coats and shirts hanging there, hoping to catch a glimpse of these elusive summer slippers that I'm oh so sure are hiding there and WHAM!

Oooouuuccchhhh... what the heck was that!

Nearly dropping my phone in excruciating pain, I quickly reach for my pinky toe, hoping it's still attached to my foot.

One... two... three... four... and five.

Woo Hoo, found it!

Thankfully it was still attached, but based on the pain, I wasn't sure how long it would be before my toe turned black & blue and fell off.

At this point finding my flip flops would have to wait.

I needed to know the source of my pain and do whatever necessary to prevent such a situation in the future.

Knowing I'm not a Bowler, although it certainly felt like it was, it wasn't likely to be a 16 pound bowling ball in a bag.

Eliminating that from the list, what on Earth could it be.

What in the world could be sitting in that closet that weighed so much, held such sharp-edged objects, yet escaped my memory.

Reaching down to the exact location of the toe jamming incident, I felt something that felt like canvas.

You know, that rough kind of heavy duty material feeling.

Grabbing hold of it, attempting to pick it up and no go.

Much too heavy.

And so I proceeded to slide it out into the light.

What in the world is this... no way!

As soon as it hit the light I knew exactly what it was.

It was my "To Go" bag!

Now, you might be asking yourself what exactly is a To Go bag.

Well, if you were around back in the day, then you'll be all too familiar with this item.

If not, please allow me to shed some light on the subject.

Those that have only been around this RV/GCR ordeal for the past few years might not be too familiar with 'em.

Back in the 2010 era, one of the big rumors floating around Dinarland at the time was you better have your To Go bag at the ready, waiting for split second notice to run to the Bank and Cash Out.

By the way, if you still hear anybody saying Cash Out or Cash In, you'll know they're Old School and have more than likely been in the game for quite some time.

Nowadays we know to say Exchange (or redeem as applies to the Zim) but back then, the nomenclature battle raged between "Cash In" or "Cash Out".

Then again, back then it was all about the RV.

The GCR hadn't really gained much traction on the rumor mill and was still a ways off in the distance.

Just another of the many changes that have taken place along the way.

Anyway, back to the bag.

It was highly suggested that we have a To Go bag at the ready, sitting by the front door.

Just as you would if you had an expectant Mother living in the house.

You'd want all of your essentials at the ready, knowing it's best to be as prepared as possible for whatever may come.

Whenever it may come.

Same goes for the RV/GCR To Go bag.

Everything at the ready, ready to grab 'n go, getting you to the Bank asap.

Yep, this was also back in the day where we thought we'd be going to a regular bank to conduct our transactions.

Once again, look how much we've learned along the way.

What's inside this bag?

That's up to each individual and over the years the rumor mill has constantly debated over how much info do we really need.

Forgive me as it's been such a long time and my memory isn't quite what it once was but I'll do my best to break it down.

In the old days it was something like 12 forms of identification... six of which required a photo.

The other six could be from various sources.

Be they utility bills, property taxes, AARP cards, Mug Shots, Christmas Cards from family members, anything that would show a connection between you and your address.

They wanted confirmation that you were who you said you were, lived where you said you did, couldn't claim anyone else as a dependent, and so on.

They also highly suggested that you bring all of your receipts for all of your purchases.

For some, no big deal.

For others, this could've been a very big deal as we weren't originally instructed that we'd need anything of the sort.

After all, this would be a simple Cash Out (or in, I forget now which was which).

And that being the case, many folks never took the time to keep track of their receipts.

No big deal, it was only going to be a couple weeks before we'd be at the Banks transacting our transactions.

And it that amount of time we wouldn't have any trouble remembering where we purchased our IQD.

The other thing we'd need, which I'm sure goes without saying, would be our currency.

Which, for most of us, would simply be a small envelope.

Sure, we'd heard all the random rumors of the Whales who'd made mega purchases but for all we knew, that was just another part of the mystery.

The mystery that was and continues to be Dinarland.

The only other ingredient in our To Go bags was our outfits.

What we would wear on the big day.

It was suggested that we dress in a Business Casual manner, leaving the jeans, t-shirts and overalls at home.

Of course, that was pretty much left up to our own discretion.

Some folks wouldn't feel comfortable being over dressed, others wouldn't hear of not looking the part.

I myself knew exactly what I'd be wearing.

It was definitely a no-brainer.

I'd already had the situation all planned out in my mind, having perfected my elevator speech down to the last nonchalant yawn.

I practiced enough in front of my bathroom mirror, knowing full well I was beyond prepared for whatever they threw at me.

Was I concerned that my outfit might be construed as being a bit too fashion forward?

No, not in the least.

I wanted them to know that for me, it was all about my making the most of the situation.

Which meant getting the best rates, a boatload of perks, and swaggering my way outta there, held held high in conquest.

And nothing says Cash Out King more than a suit covered in cash.

Am I right?

They'll see me comin'... and they'll definitely remember me goin'.

That's a fact.

Sitting there at the kitchen table, rummaging through my To Go bag, it was painfully obvious that I was in dire need of not only updating my list of Exchange Essentials but my Cash Out suit was in need of some serious dry cleaning.

After lying dormant in that bag for all these years, my suit was anything but ready to go.

Then it dawned on me, while on one hand I was happy to have rediscovered my bag of tricks, with nearly every business currently being closed down, it would be difficult, if not impossible, to get my suit dry cleaned any time soon.

Jumping on the computer I began to search for ways to achieve Dry Cleaner results during a Stay-At-Home restriction.

So far, no luck, but the search continues.

I never give up.

Did I ever find my flip flops?

As of now, no I didn't.

However, at this time I'm on to more pressing things.

I want to be ready when we finally get the GO signal.

When will that be?

Who knows. Not me, that's for sure.

All I know is both me as well as my To Go bag will be ready, willing, and waiting by the front door, ready to take off at a moments notice.

Hang in there folks and do your best to get your To Go bags in order.

It's not a matter of "if" you're going to need it, it's simply a matter of "when".

Kindly,

Dr. Dinar

Disclaimer; I'm not a Wealth Manager, Financial Advisor, CPA, Tax Attorney, RV/GCR Committee member, nor am I a Seller of To Go bags. I'm simply someone that chooses to believe in the power of positive thinking and on the odd chance this thing truly is real, I want to make sure I'm there at the finish line to enjoy it.