I used to think that the world was going to heck in a handbasket. Earthquakes, civil uprising, disasters of all kinds from all over the globe. It’s sometimes no wonder that there always seems to be a self proclaimed prophet predicting the end of times. Many preppers point out how these disasters seem to be growing in number and intensity, but are they really? Being a prepper means to be aware of your surroundings. Take last night’s evening news as an example. The various stories were detailed by te reporters as usual, but for the life of me I can only remember two. The first was a report on the ongoing student protests in Montreal, where I used to live. I thought to my self that this type of thing was one of the reasons for moving to the country. The other was a brief mention of a tornado warning in the Gatineau region, not all that far away in terms of a storm cell. I spent the next few hours checking various resources and getting a sense of where the storm was headed…which turned out to be in my general direction, and making a few preps just in case. I did a quick tour of the yard and secured as many items as possible and began to go over a list in my head…generator:check…oil lamps ready:check…etc. As the skies grew darker, the hatches were battened down and we hoped for the best, but were as ready as we could be for the worst.
It only occured to me this morning that I had absolutely no idea what other news had been broadcast…it was a blank. This makes me wonder if things really are getting worse, or were thet really that bad all along and I just wasn’t aware. Being “awake” as it is known can be a scary thing. We suddenly pay more attention to the everyday dangers of being alive. Local and foreign disasters ring louder in our heads and can easily instill fear and paranoia. Not to worry, just use these fears to be as ready as you can be and take life as it comes, comforted in knowing that you are more ready to face these dangers armed with supplies, skills, and careful confidence.