Welcome to Preparing to Thrive!
My idea of survival was camping in the woods and I had that licked. I had all the gear necessary for a week or two in the woods. And with skills I learned from Les Stroud (aka Survivorman), I figured I’d be ok for most situations.
Then, it started. I remember it well. Just a few months after the beginning of the Great Recession, I planted my first garden. I didn’t quite know why, but I was seeing some bad times around me and thought knowing how to grow my own food would provide some security as well as something to do on my furlough days. My garden wasn’t a huge success that year with deer and rabbits decimating it, but I still got a few tomatoes and peppers from it. And I loved the taste of the fruits of my labor!
At the time, I had no idea there was a large movement underway for preparing for the lean times. And if you think about it, it’s a lot of the way our grandparents lived… gardening and canning, setting aside for a rainy day. Though I fear they trusted their government too much with their savings, they were a resilient generation, able to survive the dark days of the Great Depression.
Slowly, I found the survivalist, prepping, and homesteading communities. After taking the red pill, I was quickly overwhelmed by drinking from the firehose of these great communities. I didn’t know what bugging out was or how to do it well. I thought my backpacking gear would get me through just fine. Forget bugging in, which is the area that intrigued me into these communities.
As I calmed down, I realized that what I’m about in this community is learning to thrive now when the times are good and not just in the financial sense this world esteems. It’s about planning, picking up skills, and putting together systems and gear that will help me thrive now, and survive when things aren’t so good. And most importantly, learning to enjoy the journey.
There’s a lot to be said about unprepared masses coming to ravage resources when times really get bad. The time to change that is now, by educating folks and showing them how simple it is to set things aside. That is a part of my mission here.
Learning to thrive now, surviving when necessary and teaching others along the way.
Welcome to preparing to thrive. I hope you enjoy!
