Like A Deer in The Headlinghts

We’ve all experienced hardships and unexpected life changing events in our lives.    It seems that every time you turn on the news that worldwide natural disasters seem to be the norm.  Of course it could be a personal unexpected hardship, like an illness, death, divorce, or unemployment.  “They” say many of us are only a paycheck away from being homeless.   Then there are the mumblings of a nationwide economic collapse. It doesn’t have to take a catastrophic event like an EMP strike shutting everything down, or a terrorist attack, or a nuclear event to shatter your world……unless you are prepared.

Within about one year I suffered not one, but many of those such events that threatened my livelihood.  I went through a divorce, obtained custody of two very young boys who I eventually adopted, and was laid off from my full-time steady job of 16 years – actually was “under-employed” and my hours were reduced to anywhere from 0-20 per week.  I ended up losing my home and vehicle.  But I had my faith and I had at least prepared by stockpiling food and, therefore, we survived.   I always liked to keep a nice supply of food on hand, mostly because it was very convenient and I was too busy to run to the store too often.  I really didn’t know that I was “prepping”.

About a year ago, I remarried and moved from Michigan to mountains of Colorado nestled in the National Forest.  This city girl with street smarts was a bit out of her element but looked forward to a new life and a new adventure.  But living remotely entailed a lifestyle change.

Back in Michigan, several years ago, you may remember the power grid shutting down.  We were without power for three days.  Here in Colorado, sometimes the snow or thunderstorms get fierce.   These storms could easily cause power outages.   There are only a few grocery stores in the area and I’ve seen the shelves get cleaned out with only the threat of a severe storm.  And there’s only one main road that goes through a mountain pass that could be incapacitated and clog the transportation of supplies.  So I again began to stockpile food and water (frozen pipes are a threat from bitter cold).

The people of my area of Colorado seem to be predominately focused on self-reliance and going back to the old-fashioned homesteading ways.  Their lives were more relaxed and at peace.  I wanted more of that, having come from the stressful, high paced city life.

I took an organic high altitude gardening class and learned not only how to successfully garden here, but maybe more importantly how Genetically Modified foods and seeds were hurting our health.  That made me determined to have my own garden, along with rising food prices.  I began dehydrating and canning foods.  I learned about freeze-dried foods and their longevity in storage at my gardening class.

During this time, I began truly educating myself and I knew that we had to prepare.  The potential economic collapse alone was scary with dangers of more job loss, loss of retirement accounts and bank accounts.  I heard talk of potential terrorist attacks on our soil.  Gas prices are skyrocketing.  And you know what follows higher gas prices…..higher prices for just about everything, because it all needs to be transported.  I could go on and on.  I assume everyone reads the newspaper or listens to the news.  But it struck me; we cannot have our heads buried in the sand.  As much as we’d like to, we cannot pretend this isn’t happening or at least the threat of these things are real.

I cannot look my two and four year old in the eyes and tell them that I cannot feed them, provide for them, or protect them.  Can you?  You cannot depend on others to take care of you.  You cannot depend on government financial assistance….it may not be there next month or next year.  We all need to become self-reliant.  We all need to become preppers.  Educate yourselves.  List all of the potential disasters that could occur in your area.  Then determine what you need to protect yourself and your family in those situations.  Stockpile what you need.  If you possibly need to evacuate your home, learn what you need to prepare for that event.

Of immediate concern may be the financial state of our great nation.  A financial collapse or depression will affect us all.  Stockpile what you typically use and prepare for emergency food and water supplies.  Prepare to house, feed and water and protect your family.  Educate yourself on preparedness and self-reliance.  I am thriving on educating myself and in return, I am finding peace.

I plan to learn how to suture a wound.  While you may think that is an unnecessary skill because there are doctors, I think that ANYTHING could occur….I may be hiking remotely in the mountains and someone severely cut themselves.  But I will know how to suture the wound and could save a life.   I want to study self-defense and am considering my boys doing the same.  Am I wasting my time and money?  I could be staring at the television, instead I learned about alternative medicine.  I learned that the bark of the countless Aspen trees in my yard can be used as a pain reliever and a healing poultice.  That was free, and the information priceless.  After I suture that wound for someone in the middle of nowhere, I may have an abundance of that healing bark around me, as well.

I believe that knowledge is power.  You may question what happens if I stock up on food and supplies and that “disaster” never comes.  Well then I snuggle on the couch with my husband and children with peace of mind and enjoy life.  And I don’t have to run to the store because I don’t have something that I need now.  It won’t go to waste.  And most of all, I don’t have to be stuck like a deer in the headlights if that disaster does strike…….

L. M. CO

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