Had “The Preparedness Talk”

LNMOt - December 18, 2020

We had a long time friend come up to visit us recently.  None of our friends are aware of our preparedness.  The conversation went in a direction where I thought it would be a good time to start talking to our friend about preparedness.  The conversation went well I think – I did my best to explain the importance of being prepared and self reliant.  Hopefully at the very least the discussion got him thinking – and perhaps he will continue to take steps in the preparedness journey.  He could also just think I’m crazy!  I did send him the link to this website 🙂  curious to hear if anybody else has had similar conversations with family or friends and how they went?  What approaches worked well and which ones didn’t? 

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I have a sister in Western NY that just got 21” of snow in this recent storm.  During our last phone conversation I asked what she carries in her car since she drives over 30 miles to work, mostly on country roads with spotty cell service.  I really wasn’t surprised with her answer of nothing… luckily I think I convinced her to carry a blanket, shovel, salt, snacks and bottled water.  At first she said she would just eat some snow if she got thirsty, which would just make you even more susceptible to the cold.  I don’t think she will ever become a self reliant prepper by any means but hopefully I helped her to think about some things.  With most people that’s the best you can do.

 

I always make sure to put on my tin foil hat before I start talking about preparedness. I don’t want the aliens and CIA to read my thoughts and know my secrets! haha just kidding.

But seriously, to go off of the tin foil hat idea, we are starting to be seen as less crazy and conspiracy theorists, and more of a rational sane people who want to be able to live when society is hurting. Everyone preps, if that is just bringing a water bottle with you to the office (prepping for when you will be thirsty in 30 minutes) to full out year of food and water storage, everyone preps, just at different levels. 

John Ramey, the founder of The Prepared, had a great forum post on here the other day about his interview with the BBC news channel about how prepping is becoming more and more common and less crazy sounding.

When talking to friends and family about prepping, I don’t go full out that they need iodine pills for nuclear fallout, or a gas mask for the big pandemic. I first try and see at what level they are on, and what they are likely to do. If that is just having a week of extra food in the house if there is a bad snow storm keeping you in, then that is awesome, that is all that they can and will do at this moment, and we need to support and praise that. 

I find the best way to share my ideals of prepping is to just be a good example. When someone has a flat tire, or cuts their hand open, I am able to take care of those things for them because I am prepared. They will look at themselves and wish that they were a bit more prepared, and follow my example so they don’t put themselves in that situation again. I am not pushing my ideas on others, but am still sharing them in a way. Now if someone came to me and asked for my advice and wanted help with their own preps, I would absolutely love that and want to share all that I have with them. But with my family at least, they have other priorities and interests, and do not put as much value into prepping as I do. So pushing my thoughts and ideas on them just falls on deaf ears.

 

As a matter of routine, this is something I introduce to colleagues/others.

My standard intro to this is mentioning to stock more than anticipated groceries’s need.  My commentary mentions a savings can be realized when buying a case of something on sale instead of 1 or 2 cans of the product on sale.  I avoid mentioning bottled water, long-term storage – these are “later” topics.

I always avoid the “overewhelming” approach: a fire extinguisher in every room, 2 in the car, …

When appropriate I mention to make a first aid kit.  The term “medical kit” is avoided in my intro. Some ointments and a tweezers for splinters initiates; the later medical kit – with the later costs being beyond the Walmart Great Value brand stuff, follows ,depending on the person’s other unspoken considerations.

 

Getting at least one fire extinguisher in my house is something I need to do, but probably not one in every room.