What Part of "Survival" Do I Not Understand?

I will be the first to admit that I am not the brightest bulb on the Christmas tree, but neither am I brain dead. So why did it take so long to realize how detrimental to survival and self sufficiency being out of shape is? I have slowly, over the years become less and less active, and increased the amount of food and beverage I consume. This is not a good prescription for health and long life. About 15 years ago I quit smoking. It took a great deal of will power, but I was able to do it. But how do you stop eating? I understand it is a matter of caloric intake and the types of food consumed, but I can't imagine eating all the crap I can't stand every day. It's also about moving around a lot more than I do now. It's got to be more than just going for a daily walk, but I guess that will do for a start.

Heretofore I have not taken very good care of one of my two most important tools, my body. Since I know that my survival depends upon my health, and the survival of my family depends upon my health as well, it only makes sense that I try to improve it. Again, it will be baby steps. If I could lose 2 pounds a week, I would be near my ideal weight in a year. Here is what I am going to do. First, I am going to try to do more around the house. This would be good for my weight and also good because it is taking care of my family. I will also go for walks and bike rides. It would be great to ride my bike to the supermarket instead of driving there, especially with the price of gasoline going through the roof. Second, I am going to better control the portion size of my meals and snacks, and really try to eliminate the bad snacks. I will also eliminate eating after 8:00 PM. That should be my two pounds a week right there! Last, I am really going to start making an effort to get to bed much earlier than I presently do. More sleep means more energy the next day which means I'll be able to do more.

This coming week I need to lay out our new gardens, and build the compost bins. That includes going to Lowes to buy all of the posts, sakrete, fencing and chicken wire I will need for the enclosure, as well as the lumber for the beds. I also need to order seeds and plants, as well as the fruit trees we'll be planting. I have the final layout for the backyard mapped out. I need to get my hands on some rock for making the herb spiral and Kari's medicinal herb garden. There's a lot to get done in this next week. I hope I can do it. I may extend that out a bit. As long as I have the materials on hand, I can work a bit at a time. I can't plant until mid April anyway. Baby steps.

OMG! I'm a Survivalist?!?! And Other Thoughts.

Hmm... Let's see here. I believe that people should pretty much take care of themselves, and should NEVER demand that someone else takes care of them, or anyone else. Thought interruption here: Small children are not included in this. Diapers don't change themselves! I believe that it is wise to store up some food in the pantry and make sure you have a source of water just in case nature comes calling with 100 mph winds, earthquakes or unnatural amounts of snow, or for changes in employment status. Even the unthinkable can happen. Societies do collapse from time to time, and we seem to be pushing ourselves there from both ends. I like our Constitution and think it should be followed more closely to the Spirit in which it was written. It's time to stop playing games with it. It is not a "living" document. It is a contract between sovereign citizens and the Government they elected to protect them from people who would limit their rights (the Government). I believe that the Second Amendment is an acknowledgment that we have the individual right to keep and bear arms, and that this right shall not be infringed. OMG! I'm a survivalist!

With that out of the way, I can concentrate on more important matters. What have I done today to make any of my hopes, dreams and aspirations come true? Have I done anything to make me closer to God, be a better husband or dad, or to provide for my family? Well, in keeping with my promise to not be too blatant with you in regards to my faith, I'll remain silent in that area. Besides, I was lazy again, and didn't follow through.

As far as being a better husband and father, I did all the carting around that I needed to do and cleaned and cooked. It seems that the life of a stay at home dad is 20% driver, 15% errand boy, 3% IT services, 30% Cook/Butler and 32% figuring out how not to be bored by the other 68%. I think our decision of having me stay home while my wife pursued her career was the right choice for us on a family level. It may have been a less right choice on a personal level.

What did I do to provide for my family? I went shopping and bought quite a lot of extra food stuffs and then vacuum packed them when I got home. I also spoke with some people from our church who mill their own flour and corn meal. I'm getting advice from them on how to start up doing that myself. It wouldn't be very expensive to buy bulk grains and pack them in mylar bags in plastic buckets. This keeps the grains safe from rodents and moisture, and by using O2 absorbers in the bag, insect infestation in kept in check. Most grains can be stored for 20-30 years this way. I think Brown rice is shorter than that because of the high fat content.

These are the baby steps I am taking to become self sufficient. Things always seem to start out slower than we want them to.

The Single Step

I think of a journey home as something that will never end in this lifetime. Home is a place where you are safe and content. That cannot happen in a fallen world. That is where the journey comes in. It's a great action word, journey is. It evokes feelings of movement, adventure, discovery and for the optimist in me, it can even mean progress being made. I don't very much care for where I am in life right now, and so I journey home. I am seeking to be in a better place when the journey is ended, and a better person. If you'd like to come along, I wouldn't mind the company. Life without companionship is not as vibrant as it could be.

What is prompting this discontent with my life and my self? First, I realize that my relationship to God through Jesus is not what it should be. There are maintenance items I need to be doing, and have, through laziness, chosen not to do. How can you claim friendship with someone and not act like a friend? Second, I am a frustrated old man who feels quite inconsequential. That's pretty arrogant when you stop to think about it. Last, as I look out at my country and how it has changed over my lifetime, I am sure that whatever direction we take, we are in for a world of hurt. Both the political parties are controlled by very powerful people and organizations that do not have the common person's best interests at heart. I truly believe that the solutions we seek will be found on the individual level, not the community, federal or global. If we as individuals are not self reliant, hard working, honest and compassionate, then we can't expect our communities or other organizations to be better. They will in all likelihood be much worse due to group dynamics.

So how am I going to go about turning discontent into contentment? Therein lies the journey! For me, all things begin and end with God. I rededicate my life to the Triune God, and I will read the Bible more and pray more. I will seek to be more like my Lord, Jesus the Christ. This blog isn't about that part of my journey, but I want you to know from where I am coming. I am sure bits and bobs of my spiritual life will enter in here, but it isn't my intent to open it up to you. As far as feeling inconsequential, well I suspect that it is an attitude thing, and that will improve when my Christian walk straightens out and the last thing is underway. And what is that last thing? I am having trouble finding a word for it. Self sufficiency isn't right (nor is self reliance for that matter). As a Christian, I have to know that I am not sufficient in myself. I need God. But I guess that self sufficiency is the most understandable way of putting it. I want to grow and make and fulfill as many of my and my family's needs as possible. Certainly there are things I cannot and will not do for my family. I am not likely to perform an appendectomy on one of my kids. But I do think I can learn to grow and raise most of the food we eat on this one acre of New Jersey we presently call home. I think I can reduce the negative impact I have on this world and increase the positive by getting off grid for my energy needs. I think I can prepare my family to survive through a major weather or geological event and even thrive through it. I think I can learn all kinds of interesting, useful things on this journey.

Backyard Homestead