The significant problems we face cannot be solved at the same level of thinking we were at when we created them. – Albert Einstein
Let’s begin at the beginning. The first thing to do is to look at your home with new eyes. In some ways you have already used your home to prepare for uncertainty. You keep a flashlight in a draw in case the lights go out. You stock up the fridge when there is a sale on pot roast. You stack some canned goods in the cupboard so you don’t have to run to the store every time a hungry family member stops in. You have clothes, shoes and boots, for different occasions in the closet. To start with, we’re just going to push that way of thinking a little.
What are the main things you need to continue to thrive in our modern life? You need shelter, food, water, sewage, health, energy, transportation, communication, education, financial security, manufacture and repair, community, and security. Over time we are going to consider each of these subjects, and think about how you might build in some backups to add a little cushion to your life.
It seems an odd statement about our society that the first thing we might rush out and buy in case of emergencies is toilet paper. Toilet paper is certainly a comfort item, and something we would like to have on hand in a time of need, but it is in fact a luxury rather than a basic necessity. We showed our great grandson patches of lamb’s ear along the walkways in our town and explained how they might be used as toilet paper. It is soft and absorbent. He collected lamb’s ears until his pockets were filled. (That’s a future prepper right there).
So you see what I’m saying, don’t you? We want to think outside the box of our regular daily lives. And, once we’ve managed to ‘see’ a different way of doing things, we want to begin to act in a way that will bring us to our new goal of preparedness. No one knows what uncertainties confront us in the future, and we don’t want to go crazy preparing for life in a cave like some modern day cave person. We just to head in a new direction. A direction that leads to greater sustainability and resilience. A direction that includes our home, family, and community. When will we have completed our preparations? Well, Nancy and I have been making these changes for fifteen years and there are still a few things we could do…
Thank you for joining us on this journey.
Sincerely,
James D. Sanderson
Author. ‘Shelter At Home’ is a work in progress.
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