The Cold Begets The Urge To Prepare

Many years ago, I practiced law in Memphis.  My practice was mainly limited to what we call "insurance defense," meaning insurance companies hired my firm to represent their policyholders who were sued for causing various accidents - car wrecks, airplane crashes, slip and falls, "whoop ass" cases (also called "use of excessive force" in more genteel circles), and other similar tort matters.  

We associates always had a sense of dread when the first cold snap of the fall hit Memphis, because - without exception - the next day our phones would ring off the hook from plaintiff's lawyers whose clients all of the sudden wanted to settle their case.  This was great for our clients (i.e., the policyholders who had been sued) but not so great for those lawyers who enjoyed taking cases to trial (like I did.)

The hypothesis explaining the phenomenon went something like this: The first snap of cold weather reminds people that even colder weather, along with the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons, are fast approaching.  People like having money in their pocket when the weather gets frightful in order to be able to afford warmer clothes, increased utility bills brought on by the colder weather, and Christmas presents.  The day the cold snap hits, personal injury plaintiffs call up their lawyers and ask them to try to settle their cases ASAP...which means the next day the insurance lawyers in town get lots of calls from plaintiff attorneys willing to settle cases on favorable terms."

I have absolutely zero data to back up our (e.g., the astute team of young associate lawyers at my firm who routinely concocted theories and hypotheses about many things) hypothesis.    But there seemed to be a strong correlation between the first cold snap of the fall and the ability to settle cases for very reasonable amounts.

I've noticed a similar trend when it comes to preparedness.  I know I am more focused on prepping when the temps drop dramatically.  This weekend, we will have our first cool snap, as temperatures fall into the 30s late Saturday night here in Austin.  I'm hoping to get some time outside in the bivvy bag I mentioned earlier this week to see just how warm it can keep me in cooler temperatures.

I'm curious - does cooler weather motivate you to work on your preparedness?