FMEA’s

Failure mode and effects analysis – the process of identifying all the failures that can occur in a process and ultimately identifying how to detect, prevent, and eliminate these failures (Control Plan)

This is essentially the Bible of how I think and analyze things. I have been in Quality for over half my life. I think in terms of determining what could go wrong and what I can do to prevent it. This manner of thinking has made me an astute and annoying Quality Engineer. I can challenge a system to identify potential issues to a point of utter skepticism and wonder.

That ability works well in the world of engineering. In the real world of life or death, it is what keeps me up at night. I have gone through every scenario of what things will go wrong.

It’s scary and morbid to think of all the ways a person could die, but that’s what haunts me at night. I wake up out of my sleep and check to see if my husband is breathing. If he isn’t in bed and is downstairs, I call out to him. *this annoys him to no end* The panic that sets in is paralyzing, but I just can’t stop it.

If this, then that. This factor could cause this effect…don’t eat this, don’t drink that…don’t do this, don’t do that…still it doesn’t predict or prevent anything.

Engineering is an amazing innovating thing. But it can’t answer any of life’s real questions. We don’t know when or what will cause our departure from this life.

My aunt always reminds me “it’s not always the leaning tree that falls”…she tells me that every time I am not taking care of me, to remind me that I could very well pass before he does. (which scares me even more)

What I guess I am trying to remind myself is that we can’t predict or prevent death. We just have to learn to enjoy every moment we have. Love you ~ Meka