Here is a writing tip:  Don’t rely on your cell phone in an emergency. Write down phone numbers and carry them with you.

I was in a car accident two weeks ago. Crunchy, smashy 6-car pile up on 101-south bound near SFO.  It was just like in the movies—tires squealing, horns blaring, horrible metal-on-metal bang and clang—except that, unlike the movies, I was actually in one of the cars.

After the thudding and praying stopped, and my traveling companion and I realized neither of us were badly hurt, we reached for our phones.  When I called another friend to come help us, I saw that my phone would soon need to be re-charged.

Soon I was in the ER with a phone running out juice—and all of my phone numbers were in the phone.  I powered up the phone real quick to access the phone numbers I needed, borrowed a pen, and wrote down the numbers on a piece of paper.  I was soon allowed to use a land line phone to call my friend again to arrange for her to come get us.

• Write down essential phone numbers on a piece of paper and keep it in your wallet.
• Carry business cards, on your person on in your car’s glove box.
• Carry a good old fashioned address book.

In an emergency, your phone might be lost, or damaged, or powerless. Write down essential phone numbers and keep them with you. As much as I hope you never need to use that piece of paper, I hope you will carry it with you.