By SHERI RYAN

tneditor@tnonline.comWhile engrossed in my work at the office the other day, I answered a rather frantic phone call from one of my kids."Where is my volleyball uniform shirt?" the panicked voice bellowed on the other end.My daughter was waiting to be picked up by a teammate to go to an away game in Bangor, and of course, at the most possible last minute, proceeded to gather all of the necessary elements of her uniform so that she could play."I told you last night to get your uniform together," I chided.Simultaneously, feelings of anger and anxiety swept over me."When I saw it last night, it was on top of the dryer," I added."Why do people have to touch my things?" she cackled.And so it began; a heated discussion about obedience, responsibility and accountability that I know we have had on more than one occasion.Part of me wanted to leave work and race home to find it for her; part of me wanted her to go to the game without it so that she would have to face the scorn of her coach and teammates and sit the bench during the game as a consequence of her choice to not properly prepare ahead of time.I had to hang up the phone because the more desperate she became, the ruder she was with me, and I was trying my best not to react in-kind.I called back a few minutes later to see how she was making out, only to encounter yet another verbal tirade.Once again I hung up the phone in order to maintain my composure.She eventually found it, at which time I reiterated the importance of being prepared and gave a brief oration on listening and appropriately responding when given a directive.Blah, blah, blah, blah blah.My hubby has been walking around looking like a raccoon since Sunday.Sporting his favorite sunglasses, he left in the morning to attend an Eagles game while I remained at home.Despite being married to the sunblock Nazi for nearly 20 years, he didn't think to grab some before he left and his face has been a source of amusement for me (and anyone who looks at him) for days.Be prepared.Since 1907 it has been the Boy Scout motto.Clearly the Ryan household should have joined.Being prepared ahead of time for everything definitely has its benefits.It saves time and energy.It reduces stress on yourself and others.It helps you avoid fallout and unpleasant consequences.Being prepared can also save you money.We have had several incidents involving our cars (hail, deer attack, drunk or inattentive drivers the other guy, not us) and each time we ended up having to rent a car for several weeks, which was quite costly.Each time I kicked myself for not having car rental insurance.Not anymore.Next time, I am prepared.Another area that I think is really important to be prepared for is in regard to estate planning.The death of a loved one can turn ugly and quickly cause family members to turn on one another and practically gouge each other's eyes out over a little bit of money or property.Often, the legal fees amassed as a result eat up the value of the estate, and the only ones benefiting from Grandpa's passing are the attorneys.I'm pretty sure that's not the way Grandpa would have wanted things to be.With the state of our economy and the state of affairs nationally and globally, we also need to be prepared in order to protect and provide for ourselves, families and our neighbors and friends, too, if necessary.Robert Baden-Powell, who wrote "Scouting for Boys," stated that being prepared means "You are always in a state of readiness in mind and body to do your duty."He further clarified by saying "Be prepared in mind by having disciplined yourself to be obedient to every order, and also by having thought out beforehand any accident or situation that might occur, so that you know the right thing to do at the right moment and are willing to do it. Be prepared in body by making yourself strong and active and able to do the right thing at the right moment, and do it.Good advice for Scouts, and good advice for all of us.