Author of The Blackout Book and the online course Bloom Where You’re Planted
Right now, every prepper I know is busily trying to tie up any loose ends before the pandemic outbreak racing across the country becomes even worse. They’re buying last-minute supplies, securing their homes, and organizing their plans. They are managing their families, many of whom aren’t taking the situation seriously.
They’re trying to think of every last thing they possibly can before the situation becomes worse. They know there is more than likely going to be a point in time at which they have what they have and adding more supplies will be unlikely, if not impossible.
It’s important to know right now that things will not go perfectly. That’s just not how it works. You won’t think of everything, you won’t be able to afford everything you might want, your family members who aren’t on board are going to think you’ve gone off the deep end, and there are skills you’re going to wish you had learned.
You are causing yourself undue stress in an already highly-stressful situation by demanding unrealistic levels of perfection.
I hate to break it to you but the SHTF is upon us and you probably won’t handle every detail “perfectly.”
Don’t worry about that. I know this is the big thing we’ve been training for, but it’s okay for things not to go exactly right. You just need to make peace with that realization now.
The stuff you forgot to get before the apocalypse
One thing I see a lot in the emails I get and in the groups where I’m a member is people saying, “What am I missing? What did I forget?”
In fact, when I talked to Selco recently, I asked him the same thing. After all, this is my first real-deal apocalypse. He replied, “You probably did forget something. Everyone does. No one thinks of everything.”
And it’s so true. I know this is a whole lot more life-or-death, but for example, have you ever gone to the store to get one thing, left with a cart full of other things, and forgotten the thing you went in for?
We forget things.
None of us are “perfectly” prepared. No matter how many checklists we dutifully fulfill, no matter how many times you inventory what you have, no matter how often you mull over your plans, you’re either going to miss something or some crazy variable is going to come out of left field and make you say, “Oh, crap! Why didn’t I get any whatchamadoodles!?!?”
And this is okay.
This is life. Even in an apocalyptic situation.
This is where your prepper mindset comes into play.
Maybe you don’t have a whatchamadoodle when you need one, but perhaps you can make one. Perhaps you can improvise with something totally different than the whatchamadoodle and come up with a unique but acceptable substitute. Perhaps you can do whatever it is you were trying to do without a whatchamadoodle at all.
All you can do is get the things you think of ahead of time and hope you got most of what you need. Hoping you got all of what you need is a pretty extreme goal, even for those of us who’ve spent years preparing.
There are going to be things you never realized you should have gotten until the moment when you need them.
The stuff you couldn’t afford
I have limited funds. You probably do too. There are very few of us who can buy everything on our prepper dream list. A lot of us can’t afford to have a home where we work and another home to bug out to on a magical piece of property that has the prepper triad of fresh, clean water, defensibility, and a good place to grow food.
You may not be where you wanted to be before the apocalypse struck for the plain, simple reason that you don’t have enough money.
And especially now, with people losing jobs left, right, and center, it’s possible that money is even more of an object than it was before.
We can only do what we can do with the amount of money we have. You don’t have to be rich to survive. People have survived terrible situations for as long as humanity has existed without special gear that would have made it easier. You can too.
The stuff you wish you’d learned ahead of time
I was going to buy a shotgun before this all happened. But I waited too long (see above – I needed to wait until I had the money to do so) and once I had the money, all the gun ranges in the state where I’ve found myself were closed, so I wouldn’t have an opportunity to learn how to use it. I decided, what good will this purchase be if I have never shot this particular firearm in my life? If I don’t know how to safely load and unload it? If I don’t have a clue what I’m doing?
I decided to stick with the handguns I’m familiar with instead of adding something I don’t have the time or capability to learn about.
Before this is over, there will probably be things that make you think, “Why on earth didn’t I learn how to do this when times were good?”
You’ll need to repair something, grow something, build something, or deal with a medical issue that you never even considered handling before. You won’t know how to do it. If you’re lucky, the internet will be here and you can YouTube it or ask people online. If you’re less lucky and the internet is kaput, but still somewhat fortunate, you’ll be able to look it up in one of the umpteen-million prepper books you purchased.
And if your luck has run out you’ll either figure it out, find someone who can teach you or who you can bribe with a good barter to do it for you, or you will come up with some kind of workaround.
Is it ideal? Maybe not, but every person does not possess every skill. Learn what you can, get the educational resources you can, and work with this.
The family members who think you’ve gone off the deep end
I can’t tell you how many people I’ve talked to who have family members who think they’ve taken this “prepping stuff” too far. Nearly everyone has one of the spouses, the aging parents, the rebellious teenagers, and the young adults in our lives who think we have truly and finally lost our marbles. And as our intensity increases to remember to buy the things we may need, to be able to afford the things we may need, and to learn the skills we may need, the doubters in your life will be even more certain that you’ve lost your mind.
In situations where you can, you have to ignore these people. That isn’t so easy when it’s a person with whom you share a budget who is upset about how much money you’ve been spending. It isn’t simple when your teen announces that you have 794 rolls of toilet paper by posting a photo of it on social media. It is far from easy when your elderly parent tries to sit you down and explain that you’re going overboard and the current situation is being blown out of proportion. Your kid may miss his social life and do something shockingly stupid, putting everyone in the home at risk and you may have to crack down to a level your spouse thinks is unreasonable.
It’s so hard to do when everyone seems to be working against you. It can make you doubt that you’re doing the right thing by preparing so feverishly. It can make you question whether this looming event is “the big one” we’ve all been talking about and planning for, ever since you became a prepper.
You just have to carry on and do your best within the limitations you have. One day they’re going to be thankful that you did.
The stuff you didn’t see coming
The thing about SHTF events and disasters is that there are always variables. There are often concurrent disasters that make Disaster 1 even worse than it was already. These concurrent disasters may take you completely by surprise.
You cannot think of every variable in the entire world.
I mean, who expected a massive tornado to hit in the middle of a pandemic? Jonesboro, Arkansas probably didn’t but guess what? It happened. Who expected a hurricane in the middle of a pandemic? Guess what? There are 7-9 of them brewing at sea right now. Who planned to have their baby during a pandemic? Well, the pandemic happened and there are buns in ovens and…these babies will be born into the chaos of this crazy time.
Your primary breadwinner could lose his or her job -that’s happened to millions. You could break your leg right before all hell breaks loose. House fires can happen at any point in time. If someone decides to break into your home, it will probably be through some means that never even crossed your mind. A friend of mine who is extremely well-prepared had thought of everything… except an unexpected series of events with loved ones – events that were completely out of her control – which decimated part of her plan and caused her boundless stress.
Stuff is going to happen. Stuff over which you have no control. This is especially true when our entire system is already running differently.
You’re just going to do the best that you can and you’re going to have to be ready to swiftly adapt your plans to your reality.
It’s an SHTF-level disaster
What’s happening in the world right now is just the beginning of an SHTF-level disaster. Now, I’m not saying I expect things to go totally Mad Max this weekend or next, but I am saying that we’re stepping into previously uncharted territory. We’re in the midst of a deadly pandemic and our economy is crashing as officials try to mitigate it. (Look – concurrent disasters!)
Definitely keep prepping in any way that you can, for as long as you can do so safely. But keep in mind that there’s no way you have thought of everything you might need, been able to afford everything you might want, learned every skill that might possibly be needed, and are surrounded only by people who think you’re a genius as you empty the bank accounts buying preps. None of these things constitutes a failure on your part.
You’re human.
You have to stop being so hard on yourself. You have to control your levels of stress. Becoming overly stressed and panicked before the event has even unfolded to an epic SHTF-crisis level is a terrible waste of your energy. It can even lead to you becoming more susceptible to illness.
You can’t think of everything. After all, you’ve never lived through a pandemic, an economic collapse, and months of lockdown before. None of us has. It’s okay to have forgotten things.
We will all run into setbacks and unexpected catastrophes. It’s the nature of this particular beast. When part of our social norms goes to hell, other parts will follow.
It’s your ability to shake off these perceived failures and keep pushing forward that will determine your true level of preparedness. Do the best that you can with the resources that you have and keep your mind clear.
That’s all any of us can do.
About Daisy
Daisy Luther writes about current events, preparedness, frugality, voluntaryism, and the pursuit of liberty on her website, The Organic Prepper. She is widely republished across alternative media and she curates all the most important news links on her aggregate site, PreppersDailyNews.com. Daisy is the best-selling author of 4 books and runs a small digital publishing company. You can find her on Facebook, Pinterest, and Twitter.
Miss Daisey , although I believe that I am older than you (You are 22 RIGHT?) I think of you as the loving Mother many of us never had. Thank you for all that you write and do, your children were blessed.
Thank you so much. It’s my 28th anniversary of being 22. 🙂 You are very kind and I’m delighted I can help in some small way.
Daisy, if it wasn’t for you and your articles, I would not have been prepared at all.
Selco’s warnings helped also.
You have done a great service for us…thank you.
I couldn´t put it in better words….Thank you, Daisy.
Thanks Daisy. Appreciate your message of reason and encouragement in this mad mad time. I live with the dictum that “someone that has never made a mistake has never made anything. I love learning things through mistakes as I hate recipes and how-to manuals. My son thought I was losing it when I told him I am going to bake today – until he tasted my first attempt at hard tack. So what did you do today, son? No answer.
Good wisdom, Daisy.
What surprises me is how many people I thought would see this as I do–or they would at least listen to my view–are completely on a different page. They’re either scared witless, like 99.5% of the populace, or they’re optimistic and think this will blow over soon. I’ve decided it’s best to keep my mouth shut and keep my own counsel.
We’re just taking it one day at a time here, which is all anybody should do now.
The first problem here is thinking that this is SHTF, it is not!
The overuse and incorrect use of this term has devalued it, to a point that when it really hits, no one will be mentally prepared for it.
What we have happening right now is just a bump in the road.
We have had pandemics and World wars and all kinds of disasters and they are not SHTF events.
SHTF events are thousands of times worse than anything most of you can ever imagine
Now if we lose the government and all city, state and local services,( police, fire ambulance, hospitals, etc) and when people are running wild, looting and killing each other, then you have SHTF.
Because then, and only then, nothing will ever be the same again.
So if you are missing preps, now is a good time to reevaluate your preps.
What works and what does not work.
If you are not coping well with the isolation or fear, then you know what you need to work on.
When SHTF hits, you won’t have cell phones, TV or electricity,( except for a short time and in rare cases).
So If having your kids at home is a problem, you better have things planned for them to do in a real SHTF scenario. Or things to keep you occupied, so you don’t freak out.
So if you are going nuts now, you better get your mind around this.
You will not be able to contact loved ones by cell phone, so you better make other communication plans or expect never to talk to them again if a real SHTF scenario hits (and you better be mentally prepared for that).
There are a lot of things to learn from this. So make use of this time to do just that.
It is a good time to explore your ability to deal with extreme situations and extreme change.
Above all, stay as safe as you can and we will all get through this.
For some it is SHTF because they lost their people, their jobs, education opportunities and a lot of themselves. Some folks have experienced violence because of this from robbery, theft, assault to domestics.
We’ve even had chickens and piglets stolen here.
Everyone’s situation isn’t the same
What Matt in OK said.
I have been reading articles about people losing their jobs, their businesses, and even loved ones.
That is a real SHTF for them.
A local restaurant opened a second location last year. They just closed it. Permanently. Already 3% of small, non-chain, restaurants have closed permanently. Another 11% are expected to close permanently in the next 30 days.
Many of them, the employees they had to let go, they are all going to be struggling to make rent, house payments, auto payments. Health insurance just might be gone for them too.
I am seeing a possible 30% unemployment rate. That is going to be read hardship for those people.
during the depression unemployment was only 25%
Not to mention Trump saying things will never be the same. That is telling us we will never get our freedoms back. To me that is a SHTF. Not to mention my age and my parents. We in the group where care is being denied in some cases. i am not worried Matt about theft due to my dogs and guns. However I have had people asking us for eggs. Wished I still had my dairy goats. There are no dairys within a hundred miles of me. I buy raw milk. Now there is a house bill going through that is saying if you own two or more guns you are a terrorist, if you are a veteran you are a terrorist, if you belong to the NRA you are a terrorist. More than 15 states have red flag laws. that will affect us because that is grounds to disarm us since the government is classifying us as terrorist. I read that Harlem is not abiding by the 6 feet rule and stores are open. That is the only way to keep our freedoms by not bowing down. Silence is agreement.
@ Mic
I think that for most of us, this is as close to a TSHTF scenario that we have come. Not so for those who have experienced wars in their own countries, survived the Holocaust, etc. but definitely true for most of us where 9/11 was the worst thing that has happened to us so far. For many of us it sort of feels like we are characters in one of those prepper novels we read. There are times I’m not at all sure if what I think is happening is really happening or it was in one of those Kindle books! And remember that it’s a recession if someone else loses their job but a depression if you lose your job! So how people are being impacted by this and how it makes them feel is very individual.
Living in the country or NYC, where good friends of mine live, makes a huge difference in these days: In your fear levels and possibilities and in the pure staistical chances of your survival. If you have 10 acres of fertile soil in the back of a 5 bedroom house out in the country, can work online from home (still have a job) and no one of your social group has been hit by the virus, you will certainly consider hunkering down for 3 or 4 moths a minor “inconvenience”. However, living in a 2-room apartment without even a balcony in a not-so-safe-district, not knowing how to even afford the rent for it in two month from now and being in the highly at risk group or about to give birth with no idea if you will be entirely on your own at home, you´ll possibly look at things differently…
There are goods and things you can find alternatives, but there are situations, where alternatives are pretty scarce – like finding a midwife if you can´t go to the hospital. You even can´t ask your mother to be there if she is a senior/ at risk / living in another state/ etc….
My family thank god is in the situation that after the initial shock, we are partly used to it already and found ways to shop without leaving our home, improvised on what we did not buy (or we just did not expect the situation to last that long). I am not a techie and did not realize how much was still possible, due to the fact that we still have internet and parcel delivery. If this ever goes sideways, we, too, will be in a different situation.
At the moment I see the biggest fear in us (espeially dad at 89) getting so much used to our little safe separate world, that they start to say “ah, it´s not a big deal, why can´t I go buy this or that or have that podiatrist come to our place since you are not that good at it”. The hardest on me is fearing that someone of my family will do stupid things one day and I either have to take the decision to not let them in anymore or risk the health of the rest of us. I myself could hunker down for a year without problems (if I can still online order and have no desaster in my vegetable garden), but they – like so many – psycologically can´t bear the real dimension of the danger or just not being able to buy what they want when they want it. And it takes all my breathing exercises to face telling them that the fresh apples are done and I am going to order dried ones instead since mother nature doesn´t have them yet….
You can only do your best and hope that things which are out of your control don´t get out of control…
Sorry for the long post 😉
I feel it’s presumptuous to decide what is SHTF for everyone. I’m 74 & have lived through a lot of history, things that shook our world, but never have I or most anyone else in this country lived through something this big. My 95 year old parents just smile & nod; they were just children during the depression but they carry their parents memories, We will have to dig deep Y many will not make it. We need to be supportive of others & I feel that is something Daisy has done in an exemplary fashion.
Mic, if you’ll take a deeper look at events, you might realize that this indeed is The Big One. We’ve DELIBERATELY trashed 1/3 of the global economy, wealth, labor force, GDP, etc. Which means this is a Business Plan with a specific goal in mind, and what we’ve experienced is simply the opening phase of a multi-stage strategic plan.
Things will change again as early as Saturday, and ratchet up another notch within two weeks after Easter. Read and observe, and you will understand what is really going on. Which is to say you will have much greater clarity on what you should be doing now.
Don’t be fooled by people who are experts at deceiving you. Likewise, don’t be caught off guard when the Kinetic War goes hot in the very near future.
It is obvious from your statement that you have absolutely no idea of what is going on, or how you are being slow boiled. Perhaps you should listen a little more carefully, at least until your paradigm matches reality. Or remain oblivious, as that is your choice. I would hope your presence on this forum indicates you are willing to increase your knowledge, and protect your loved ones in the process.
Good luck and God’s speed!
I can so totally relate to what you’ve written. The list of things I meant to get but put off for various reasons and skills I needed to learn is longer than I’d like. I have to tell myself I’ve done the best I could with what I had to work with in terms of time and resources and it will have to do. Hopefully I’m able at some point to continue to cross things off that list. We shall see. I suspect that even the most prepared person still has a list of things they meant to do or get more of.
Thank you for the sweet reassurance! I am the main prepper in my family and that has been the thing I’ve been struggling with! What did I miss?? Well, masks and hand sanitizer were ones I did not prep before this hit but I did have a case of bar soap saved so lots of hand washing going on here! 😀
So now it’s just adding what I can safely and budget-wise do. I am grateful I had a country Grandma who lived through the Great Depression and taught me how to garden, can, bake and cook. Her motto was prepare for the worst and hope for the best! Both my mama and she tried to teach me sewing but it’s not a skill I have mastered! My dad taught me how to hunt and fish.
Any way grateful for your blog!
Erica,
You can make a Thymox substitute which is as effective as the commercial disinfectant. You can use it both on your hands and as a surface disinfectant. Youl find the recipe on botanicwise.com when you register for the free Covid-19 webinars. The recipe is in Guido´s slides and you should be able to order all ingredients on Amazon or drop ship from an herb store.
Thanks for your site along with links of other resources. I relaxed after buying 2 cheap packs of XXL white men’s t-shirts. Going to chop ’em into “tp” strips. Why does this make me feel better? Weird.
@pink machete???????????????????????????????? love it !!!????
So, at the end of February this pandemic caused me to become concerned. I live in the Bay Area in CA. The rest of the Family lives South of the OR boarder. Reading your articles had caused me to become more uneasy about this whole thing. Initially I figured it was a typical distraction from the election or something of that sort. But when I mentioned doing a larger than normal grocery run, a sister basically stated that it would be a good idea.
Fortunately that has helped me work on getting ready for this current Shelter in Place order. Although I am waiting for the worst to hit. I work part time at an ‘Essential’ business – I am waiting for it to be deemed a non-essential. So I’m still having to get out, which means I’m still doing quick grocery runs while being very aware that I will have to put an end to those soon.
Long story short, thank you for keeping us updated, and informed. I fear things are going to be very difficult for some time.
My son who’s into preparedness as much as I am was having a tough time with that fact that he missed having enough baby wipes.
He felt failure but I assured him that wasn’t so because his child was loved, fed, housed and between combined efforts we all managed to get them what was needed.
This is why I stress teams. Family, friends etc. working together for a common goal.
I also went over plan Bs for wipes.
Is the virus the end of the world? No
Is it TEOTWAWKI? For some yes.
Is it a good litmus test? Absolutely
It’s a new hard challenge that no one was an expert on. (And still aren’t).
Don’t be hard on yourselves if you failed in areas. Learn, adapt and always forward. We’ve a long ways to go yet so stay up.
It may not be TEOTWAWKI but it’s at the very least a good practice run!
A few sayings or cliche’s that may offer a bit of perspective and hopefully comfort.
When dealing with non-prepper’s that we love … “If they knew better they would do better.”
Regarding dealing with things that are out of our control … “If I cling to nothing, I can handle anything.”
In the end, life is an experience … Good, bad, or somewhere in between I want my last thoughts to be happy memories, and anticipation of returning to my Creator.
Live life well, exercise patience and love with all whom you meet, and don’t forget to apply these things to yourself as well.
and remember, “when it rains, it pours.” no, not that brand of salt. when there is a disaster,there may be further disasters within it. i had a horrible reaction to a new-ish medication that my doc instructed me to do a dose raise. imagine the most violent gut reaction imaginable. projectile, paint blistering, gut wrenching, all day reaction. and my immodium that i had carefully stockpiled, was out of date and didn’t work. ditto the anti-nausea drug. then, i slipped on all the mess and twisted my foot and knee. good thing ace bandages don’t have a pull date. i’m walking with a stick in a house with lots of stairs. be careful! this is not a time you want to be sick or hurt.
Oh my golly! So sorry to hear about your misfortune! But it does remind me of the thoughts I was having spotting DH climbing the ladder to take out the dead part of a tree to save the rest of it. Really, this should’ve been done last November, you’re not a 10 year old monkey anymore, you’re a senior monkey. He was more sore than he expected, using muscles he forgot he had.
This is a timely article, Daisy. We are a nervous and impatient lot who want the best for our loved ones and never hope to see evil days but know they are an evitable part of a highly civilized life. I believe we all know that this is a slow motion SHTF demolition.
There is a lot out there that can kill our personal joy if we let it. By joy, I mean contentment and satisfaction. There’s an element of resolve in reaching deep down for the resources within: how we’ll behave when we will have to be content with what we’ve got. Our gloriously well-supplied society is a bit spoiled with everything we could want can be had conveniently year round. Shangri-la.
There’s a scene described from the Gulag Archipelago by A. Solzhenitzyn where people have been packed into a boxcar bound for the Gulag. Every one has been stripped of everything they own but the clothes on their backs. They are all hungry and dirty. Someone brings out a comb and starts combing his hair. A fight breaks out.
The movie, the Gods Must Be Crazy. A small tribe of people living harmoniously at a subsistence level, suddenly find a coke bottle falling out of the sky into their camp. They find all kinds of wonderful things they can do with it. Then they start fighting over it….
Obviously, this is a worst case scenario. But the point is human nature being what it is, we’ve got to deal with that being the worst part of SHTF. That’s the stressor. Stress is the perception that we will lose out or go without or suffer. So much suffering is in our heads as Daisy so well points out. Instead of eating more, eat less. instead of fretting find something creative for your hands. Even long put off maintenance can help. Cooking from scratch brings a level of satisfaction.
One thing is sure, we will never have what we once had before. We’ve peaked and are now on the downward slide. Finding someone to blame doesn’t help the stress level. Boy, sorry these thoughts went so long.
Hair cut.
I was about due for one, then the governor closed all the barber shops/hair cutting places.
Ever see the Netflix show Stranger Things? Another few week or two and I could be Steve Harrington for Halloween.
Bhahaha I stripping mine back this weekend for safety. I figure I’ve got maybe another week then I’m in the thick of it at work.
Local PD and FD think they just got exposed doing CPR on one.
Got clippers for the dogs/goats.
Just not sure if the wife can do a high and tight.
Might be more like boot camp and take it all off.
But, we are still seeing lows in the 30s, so might have her just trim it up. The side “wings” at least. Get a brisk breeze and I start lifting off.
Bwahaha, @1stMarineJarhead and @MattinOklahoma! I just cut DH’s hair yesterday (he was way overdue!). I’ve cut his hair for years. I don’t cut my own hair often, but trim it from time to time. Could shave my own head if needed to….
I have prepped for years and learned the skills I didn’t have. Still, I feel a little queasy sometimes wondering when the rioting and robbing will start and if that is the trigger that causes me to head for the bug out place. But yesterday, my 15 year old grandson said, “Mimi, if we have to have an apocalypse, this is the best one to have because our cars still run and we have electricity.” And right then, a calm came over me and I said to myself, “You have prepared them well. You have done your job.”
Wise advice and much needed right now. Thank you.
Another good word, Daisy– thank you for the exhortation and the encouragement!
Now is a great time to learn meditation and keep meditating. It’s proven useful. Pause, take a breath, close your eyes, scan your body from top to bottom, like honey slowly covering you, just feel what there is to feel, if a thought comes up you can write it down for later or just let it go.
I do not do formal meditation per-say.
But I do find watching the ducks, chickens, birds, livestock calming.
Something about being out and about with nature is helpful.
Granted, when the humming birds wiz by my head like in-coming rounds, is a bit eyebrow raising.
And yes, close enough to move my hair.
This is spot on. Here I am in a time that I need to be incredibly busy, and I’m on the couch dealing with a flair up of diverticulitis. I’m thankful that I still have access to a tele-doctor and don’t have to get out of my house, a well-stocked pharmacy with a drive up window, and a safe home. I’m very concerned that things in our country are going to get much worse before they get better.
I’m so thankful to have communication through the internet. It’s been a rough day for me. This is the first day that I honestly feel like I am depressed. I’m hoping it’s a result of the diverticulitis, not the other circumstances. I’m not someone who typically has depression issues. I can’t imagine what it’s like for those who do. Let’s all continue to support each other during this current trial.
PG, sorry to hear you are feeling poorly. I hope you get to feeling better soon! While we don’t have TOP over at the other site, you can ask Tara there or Daisy here to share my email with you.
You called it! Step by step. When you said your threshold was 100 miles before you bunker down and it had just hit MA & NY (I’m in CT) I thought it’s time. When I went to Costco on Feb 28 and “stocked up” I blamed it on the pregnancy because of the looks. I’ve been indoors for 2 weeks, since the baby was born and there is no in and outs. When I read that’s your way, I thought, would I be strong enough to do that? With a 2 week old you better believe it! THANK YOU Daisy!!
The longer someone has been a “prepper” the least likely they would have overlooked something important, but it happens and I’m certain that there are items when looking back in hindsight we wished we would have acquired. “I should have made that ammo order when ammo was cheap and plentiful”, etc.
No one can prepare for every eventuality. But if a person has the basics – shelter, water, food, security – covered then they are ahead of the game in about every scenario. Feel good about that, and should a person discover they overlooked something, don’t stress over it. Make do. Be innovative. Move on.
This is a readjustment of reality, and I might even call it a slow burn SHTF. Large crises go slowly, then all at once. If we are lucky, things will reverse course before it gets to the “all at once” stage. This is what I’m hoping for.
The shotgun story is a great example. Humans are imperfect, but we find ways to adapt. You may decide to stick with handguns, or buy a carbine that takes the same ammo and magazine as your handguns. Or when you get a shotgun, get a semiauto, since that action type is what you are most familiar with.
When this started stirring, I took notice and replenished my supplies. If I had a crystal ball, I’d have done a few more things, but the important thing is to keep looking forward.
Daisy ???????????? just absolutely love you!
I was prepared for an alien invasion of lizard people turning everyone into zombies all the way down to a flat tire. What I wasn’t prepared mentally for was not being able to hug my grandkids. It’s one thing to be deployed for a year or more or off to training for a month or three and “it is what it is” but to actually be able to see them visually sometimes but can’t touch them because I don’t know that I’m not contaminated through my job is crushing me. Video calls help but God I miss them kids
Same here. I just want to hug and kiss my grandkids. Granddaughter, age three, just doesn’t understand why Grammy can see her, but has to stay several feet away. She’s heartbroken.
Dear Daisy, Thank your for your advise! I fit the description of the ‘what did I forget’ person. I have read many of your article and always found information in them. Thanks to you for advice and encouragement!
THESE are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.
Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered; yet we have this consolation with us, that the harder the conflict, the more glorious the triumph.
What we obtain too cheap, we esteem too lightly: it is dearness only that gives every thing its value. Heaven knows how to put a proper price upon its goods; and it would be strange indeed if so celestial an article as FREEDOM should not be highly rated. -Thomas Paine
https://www.libertynation.com/the-rabbit-hole-covid-19-breeding-informers-and-hatred/?utm_source=whatfinger
https://www.forbes.com/sites/mattperez/2020/03/18/bill-gates-calls-for-national-tracking-system-for-coronavirus-during-reddit-ama/