Just in case

After the Filomena snowstorm brought Madrid to a standstill in 2021, I bought a shovel.

During the storm, it became painfully clear that we were completely unprepared, much as parts of Northern Europe have recently discovered during extreme heat.

At one point, we were removing snow with paella pans, which is either very Spanish or very stupid. Probably both.

Once the roads reopened, I went looking for a snow shovel. There were none left, so I bought a proper, all-purpose shovel instead. You never know what form the next black swan will take.

I remember feeling strangely pleased with myself. Next time, I would be ready.

Since then, Madrid has not seen a single serious snowfall.

The shovel has never touched snow. In fact, it has never touched anything. It sits brand new in the storage room, collecting dust and apparently doing an excellent job of ensuring that it never snows again.

And in a strange way, that is what preparedness often looks like.

Its cost is visible every year. Its value becomes visible perhaps once, and usually when it is already too late to acquire it.

Every pharma supply chain has a shovel line-item in it somewhere, and someone in finance asking why we still pay for it.

Unused resilience so easily gets mistaken for wasted capital.