Recently, as I was canning 28 quarts of organic chicken and grass-fed beef in a giant 30-year-old All American pressure canner, I couldn’t help but notice how uncanny the similarities between canning and estate planning are.
If you’re scratching your head wondering what kind of lawyer takes the time to can their own food, I don’t blame you. When I first started canning again a while ago, my partner thought I’d lost my marbles: What about botulism? Isn’t canned meat gross? Why don’t we just freeze it? Better yet, why don’t we just buy fresh food from the store?
I love it because it means that even when I’m too tired to really “cook,” or forget to stop at the store, I don’t have to resort to takeout, heavily processed mass-produced meals full of preservatives, or the freezer-burned lasagna in the back of the freezer. I’ve got a glass jar of tender, shredded grass-fed beef that I can turn into a dozen different meals depending on my mood—in less than 15 minutes.
I love it because it reminds me of making jams and jelly as a kid with my grandma, who grew up during the Great Depression and lived by the mantra: waste not, want not.
I also love it because I don’t have to worry about a freezer full of food spoiling if one of our annual PNW windstorms knocks out the power for a week.
My partner came around and loves it because it means I do more of the cooking, and we get to relax and enjoy our meals together instead of getting caught in the endless “what should we eat?” cycle or scrambling to order takeout before the decent restaurants close—when we’re already both hangry. She also loves it because, as an environmental consultant, she’s thrilled that we waste less food, waste less energy, and produce less waste: canning jars get reused, unlike plastic trays, wrap, and bags.
While my love of canning says a lot about me, chances are your approach to meal planning says a lot about you—and your values around time, energy, attention, money, health, and legacy.
How Meal Planning Reveals Your Values
My personal love of canning aside, there’s no “right” or “wrong” way to meal plan. Whatever method you use—whether it’s prepping meals for the week or planning dinner out with friends—you’re doing more than deciding what to eat. You’re revealing your values. For example:
- Prepping ahead for a busy week shows you value your energy.
- Creating a shopping list and sticking to it shows you value money as something to use wisely.
- Using recipes passed down to you, or shared by friends, shows you value connection with family and community.
- Planning shared meals around busy schedules shows you value time with the people you care about.
Your choices about food aren’t just about food—they’re value choices. And they reflect the same intentionality (or lack thereof) that carries into your financial and legacy planning.
When you don’t plan, the result is scrambling, stress, and wasted resources. That’s true whether it’s dinnertime or when your loved ones have to deal with your affairs when you can’t.
Precision, Patience & Expertise Matter
My social media feeds are unsurprisingly filled with both dangerous canning advice and some head-scratching estate planning advice—often from influencers who mean well but don’t know what they’re talking about. While botulism may seem more immediately dangerous than a one-size-fits-all estate plan, the consequences of poor planning can be just as devastating as a foodborne illness.
Why?
Because estate planning isn’t just about preparing for death—it’s about planning for life. For the unexpected. For the moments when you might not be able to speak for yourself, and the people you love need clear, easy-to-follow directions.
If you don’t want to worry about botulism, it’s essential to follow the steps of a tested and approved recipe from reliable experts like the National Center for Home Food Preservation—exactingly.
If you don’t want to worry about your loved ones scrambling to pick up the pieces of a mess you left behind—or guessing (or fighting) about what your wishes would have been—it’s essential to work with an attorney who can help you identify and draft a plan that reflects your values and goals.
Generic Planning May Contain Bugs
Imagine two jars sitting side by side on a shelf. One is a mass-produced can of marinara sauce. You read the ingredients and aren’t quite sure what everything is, but there’s not too much added sugar or salt, and the label assures you it’s “delicious,” “healthy,” “non-toxic,” and “organic.”
I’m not knocking store-bought food—I absolutely buy pre-made marinara sauce. But for the purpose of the analogy, remember: the manufacturer doesn’t have to remind you that the FDA allows up to one maggot per 500 grams of canned tomatoes.
I genuinely apologize if that makes you lose your appetite, but unfortunately, generic estate plans can also have “bugs” in them that you’re not aware of. They’re quick and designed for mass consumption. They might work in a pinch, but you can never quite be sure what’s in them—or whether they’re really everything they claim to be. And you and your loved ones likely won’t find out until it’s too late.
Now picture the other jar: one you made from tomatoes you grew in your garden, using your great-grandma’s special seasoning mix and a recipe from the National Center for Home Food Preservation that’s been consistently tested and updated to reflect new research and safety standards. No bugs. No added coloring. No risk of botulism if you follow the directions. No impossible-to-pronounce ingredients—just tomatoes, spices, and love.
The point? While you may be able to throw together a plan using generic online forms as quickly as you can make spaghetti, you won’t have the added guidance and legal updates you’ll get when you work with an attorney who helps you clarify your goals and update your plan as your life, the law, and the tax code inevitably change.
Preserve What Matters Most
Whether you’re planning meals or planning your legacy, the real question is: how are you stewarding your most limited resources?
Time, energy, and attention are finite. Once spent, they’re gone. And when life gets busy—or uncertain—those resources become even more precious. That’s why intentional planning matters. It’s not just about avoiding chaos or saving money. It’s about creating systems that protect your capacity to show up for the people you love.
When you plan ahead—whether it’s dinner for the week or decisions about your estate—you’re choosing clarity over confusion, care over crisis, and connection over scrambling. You’re saying, “My time matters. My energy matters. My attention matters. And so do yours.”
Because ultimately, the greatest legacy isn’t just what you leave behind—it’s how you protect what matters while you’re here.
If you’ve ever felt the relief of having a meal plan ready for the week, imagine having that same peace of mind when it comes to what will happen if you are unexpectedly incapacitated or die.
Book a 15-minute discovery call with me today, and let’s create a plan that protects you, your resources, and your legacy for the people you love most.
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