Be Prepared

I’ve debated about sharing this because it can so easily be seen as extreme or a little nutty. A year ago, I might have agreed with that assessment, but given recent events that we believe impair our national security and signal a growing danger, I’ve decided to share the information below. We believe it’s possible our country is about to go through something much more difficult than what’s happening now, whether it originates from external or internal sources, or a combination of both. We may be wrong, and I don’t in any way want to add to people’s fear. I share this in case it’s helpful to you. If it makes you more anxious, please, try to tap into your inner badass and focus on preparation as active steps you can take to ensure the safety and well-being of you and others. If you need to, consider professional help. It has saved me, but more about that some other time. Remember: We are not helpless, but we need to be vigilant and prepared. One of my favorite quotes is “hope is not a strategy” and this is very much in that vein.

OK, here we go. In case you’re wondering about what gives me the authority to speak on this, I’m not an expert, but see the note at the bottom if you’re interested in the back story.

In addition to the financial stuff I recommended recently, start training your mind for self-sufficiency and resilience in the face of infrastructure disruption. Make a list of all the services you use or things you rely on others for. Separate that list into needs and wants. The needs list should be pretty short….food, water, shelter, basic sanitation, etc. Focus your efforts on protecting those things and doing without the wants. Put yourself through a little mental bootcamp and get comfortable with the idea of living a life that has more friction in it, if necessary – no online entertainment, electronic information that is unavailable, the need to provide things for yourself, etc. – and prepare alternatives. For example, an easy, sanity-preserving thing is having books (actual paper books) and games around to have something to do if other entertainment isn’t available or you need something to trade. 

When it comes to building resilience, I recommend the book Man's Search for Meaning by Viktor Frankl, a Holocaust survivor. Research "mental toughness" and learn some tips.

Next, I recommend you google practical tips to prepare for natural disasters and/or terrorist attacks. I’ve linked some here and here. Do those things. One tip I was told by an expert many years ago is not to let your gas tank ever get below half full. Ever. Fill up whenever you can, even if you don’t think you need it. Don’t stress about it; just make it a habit. He also told me to always have cash. Don’t run to the bank and pull everything out. Just have enough cash to function for a bit if credit cards and all the other electronic payment systems weren’t available. Do some research on communications in the absence of cell phones: CB radio, maybe?  Some solar batteries might be nice. 

Next, look up homesteading groups and resources. Buy some homesteading books -- again, physical resources vs. online resources may become important – and start learning how to be self-sufficient. What products do you use every day and what would you do if you didn’t have easy access to them? What medications do you need to have on hand? Can you get 90-day supplies of them? Talk to your doctor and insurance. And speaking of medical needs, do you know basic first aid? Now would be the time to learn. Do you have backup pairs of eyeglasses?

Next, do a personal inventory. If the monetary way of paying for things you need wasn’t available, bartering would be what people would rely on. What items, skills, or talents do you have that you could trade for items you need? Just think things through and make plans. It’s an interesting mental exercise and if you never need the plan, great!

If you’re thinking “I’ll just go to Canada or some other country if things get bad,” consider this: If the worst were to happen, how would you get there? If transportation systems and borders were closed, either here or abroad -- remember the pandemic? -- where would you go? Do you speak the language there? How would you find housing if there was a mass exodus (because you won’t be the only one with that idea)?

Finally, give some thought to who you might want to ally with. It sounds like a reality show, right? Such is life now. Reliable, resourceful, stubbornly loyal friends and family should be top on your list. Have some conversations.

Hear me well and don’t get it twisted: Please don’t panic and start stockpiling everything. Remember the toilet paper panic during the pandemic? That hurts other people without making you any safer. Panic is the enemy because it shuts down the rational, planful part of your brain. It’s VITAL that we become determined to hold on to our humanity and that means taking care of ourselves and each other. You know how people like to say, “They tell you on the plane to put on your own oxygen mask first”? What people never seem to remember is the second half of that: “Put on your mask *and then help others who need it*.”  If the worst were to happen, we will only get through it together.

*Back story: I’m not an expert in this but I’m married to a highly skilled outdoorsman who believes in the Scout motto to his core: “Be prepared.” I was also raised by people who were raised in the Great Depression…on farms…during the Dust Bowl. After that agonizing time ended, they were part of World War 2 and the polio epidemic, and then the Cold War, where nuclear annihilation was a real possibility. (They lived not far from missile silos and a strategic plane system at one of our military bases, so they would have been high on the list). During all that, they ran a family farm for 20 years, where there were years when crops failed due to weather. They never went hungry, but items had to be sold so my brother and sister had school shoes.  If you know anything about veterans and farmers, you know they’re a hardy, self-sufficient group. So, I was raised to be prepared for the worst by people who’d actually seen it.  My skills are rusty, but I know how to raise my own fruits and vegetables and preserve them, raise a chicken for eggs and kill it for meat, basic sewing, how to shoot straight, and to not to depend on others to rescue me if the worst happens. #ThanksMom #ThanksRome #RuralLife