“You are such a conspiracy theorist.” “Zombies are not real.” “It’s just an election, the world is not about to end.” Do you know anybody you could say this about? Or has anybody said this to you? In the last five years, this has become much more common than it has been since the Cuban missile crisis in the 1960’s. Back then, everybody was worried about nuclear war, with missiles parked less than a hundred miles from Florida. Things are different today, but some people have a similar mindset.
Being prepared is not about conspiracy theories or the end of the world. It’s about planning for the unexpected. Like buying a couple extra cans of soup to put aside for a rainy day, or keeping a few extra rolls of toilet paper in the back of the closet, just in case it suddenly becomes hard to find – again. Some people prep in a more basic way, having extra supplies on hand in case there is a storm and the lights go out, while others take a more extreme approach, like building nuclear fallout bunkers in their back yards. Are either wrong? I would say no, however, one may realize the benefits of their planning before the other does.
Preparedness, or “prepping” as many call it is simply a mindset, a way of thinking. Do you wait until your refrigerator is empty before you make a run to the store for the essentials? What happens if the power goes out from a lightning storm, and the stores have to close for a day or two, would you have anything at home to eat? Would you have water if your well pump doesn’t work because your home lost power? Do you think these are things you should think about, especially if you have a family that gets hungry at least a couple times a day – or a half dozen times a day if you have a teenage boy like I do?
“How can I be prepared”. Personally, I never actually ran out of TP at the beginning of the Covid lockdowns. How? Well, there happened to be a really good sale on bulk packs at my club store about two weeks before, so I bought three, figuring that they will get used, and I saved $10 per pack of 32 rolls. I did not know there was going to be an issue, I was just looking to save money in the long term, but it helped. If the sale had been a month later, I might have been in the same situation as so many others, paying $3 for a single roll at the grocery store, if I could find any at all.
Beyond physical preparedness, what about mental preparedness? Do you have the knowledge and skills required for life? This can be anything from changing a tire on the side of the road by yourself without calling the auto club, to doing basic repairs at home, or even learning how to garden and growing some of your own food. And do you have the ability to remain calm – or at least calm yourself down – after a critical incident? Will you be able to think straight and figure out what needs to be done, then implement it?
There is also physical preparedness. Do you know your physical capabilities and limits? Have you tried pushing your limits so you can grow and improve? This could be anything from working out to recovering from an injury and everything in between. You don’t need to be a body builder to be physically prepared, but you do need to be aware of your abilities and limitations, and have the mindset of improvement.
These are things you can learn at any age, if you are willing to take the time. Follow us on this site as we will be sharing a lot of great information written by people with experience in all these areas and more. We will be adding content regularly, and adding subject matter experts as we move forward to provide more and better information.
Are you prepared?