In today’s mail, I had a flyer from Emergency Essentials with a foldout recounting Aesop’s fable, “The Ants and the Grasshopper”. You older folks will remember it, but the younger ones among us; probably not. Google it.
Being a “prepper” doesn’t necessarily mean a person who is all about guns and self-defense, or even living off-the-grid in a cabin like this one we recently listed. Being a prepper simply means being in a position to care for you and your family in a time of disaster so that you do not have to depend on others (i.e. FEMA or other government agencies). In the years since I started Retreat Realty, Ltd., I’ve met all kinds of folks from both political spectrums, all ages, all income brackets, all education levels, and all religious ideologies. The one thread of commonality is that they want to be more independent and self-reliant, not dependent upon some governmental agency.
You don’t have to have a year’s supply of long term food stored up, grow a beard, keep a cache of gold and live in an off-grid log cabin you built by hand. You just need to be ready to react when disaster strikes. That may mean staying put where you are or relocating (bugging out) to a safe haven. You’ve heard it said that “into each life, some rain must fall’, and Benjamin Franklin has been credited with saying “By failing to prepare, you are preparing to fail.” That’s very true.
Start with little steps. Keep some extra water on hand in the garage or basement. Set aside some canned goods. Buy a couple of extra flashlights and a hand cranked/solar radio. Keep some cash handy in case you can’t access an ATM. Have a substantial first aid kit on hand. In fact, have two. There’s a saying in the military and among preppers: “Two is one, and one is none.”, meaning if you have just one of an item, you can pretty much count it as none, because at some point its likely to break, get lost or stolen. So have a back up. As you grow into it, you’ll be amazed at how well prepared you can be without having to break the bank or live like the folks on “Doomsday Preppers“. The next time a hurricane, volcano, flash flood, wildfire or tornado rolls into town, you’ll likely be better off than your neighbor. But even if it doesn’t come your way, you can still enjoy these “preps” in your daily lives while feeling confident that you’ve done the right thing for your family.
