From the time we’re children, it seems, we’re taught to take care of our vital documents as though they’re sacred treasures. And rightly so, because our birth certificates, social security cards, immunization records, and passports define what we can and can’t do in this world to a very large extent. It’s no surprise then, that if we happen to lose one (or God forbid – more) of these documents, our initial reaction is likely to be panic.
However, no matter how careful we are, it can happen to the best of us, especially if we’re not aware of the most prudent ways to keep our vital documents safe.
I have to confess: It happened to me, and that’s part of why I started Life At Hand® to help people protect their personal documents and information.
In my nearly 40-year career as a speech pathologist, I used to travel the world for public speaking engagements. One day in the late 80s, my day planner was stolen right before I was going to board a plane.
The credit cards were used immediately; I could not get out of town on an airplane because I had no photo ID, no driver’s license, and my tickets were gone. Two days’ worth of scheduled talks had to be canceled.
And even though this ordeal caused problems for me, it wasn’t the end of the world. I was able to eventually replace all these documents, even though it involved some serious detective work on my part about who to contact and what hoops I had to jump through.
Luckily, nowadays we have the Internet to help in times like these. At USA.gov, you can access the page, Replacing Your Vital Documents, which provides a comprehensive list of links providing detailed instructions about replacing every kind of vital document, including birth, marriage, and death certificates; bank records; green cards; school records; and more.
So if you’ve lost vital documents, don’t panic! Simply take the steps you need to take to replace them, then if you haven’t already, get yourself a Life At Hand® Organizer which will provide not only a way to safeguard your information and documents, but comes with complete instructions about how to do so.