Becoming self reliant and being as self reliant as you possibly can be, it's not what you think it is, but then again maybe it is

  While sitting on my chair in my garden watering the roses, I had just completed deep watering

Deep green, beautiful pink, what more is there in life?

everything else, I do that every other day. I still don't seem to get enough water to the plants, but it's been really hot here the last week or two. I checked the worm farm, everyone appears to still be content and moist. As I was sitting there in the garden I started to put some thought into this blog, becoming self reliant and my next article for ezine. All of the blogs and articles I write deal with self reliance and making strides in our lives that support that, my intent is not so much to sell a whole bunch of "stuff" to people but to raise their awareness. It's a huge niche involving a universe full of different levels and understanding's of what it is to be "self reliant". I am going to define what it means to me, I have found it's one of those sentences that takes on many definitions. The Rutherford report has a really good paper on what self reliance is click here.
  The term "self reliance" means exactly what you think it does, being able to depend on your skills and knowledge to survive everyday life, that to me is it. I would like to add to the phrase the words, "as you possibly can be." Strive to "be as self reliant as I can possibly be." The more self reliant you become in day to day life the more it will prepare you to be self reliant in the event of a disaster that disrupts your life for a few days or weeks.
 

This is it, self reliance, lots of tomato's let's make a
sandwich, I see three meals in that plant. 

"As you possibly can be." A person living down town San Francisco in a one room apartment is able to reach a level of self reliance. It's possible to grow one tomato plant in a pot on your porch or in a window, supplying tomato's for the summer or possibly longer. The apartment dweller could have a small worm farm under the sink in buckets in an effort to achieve zero garbage. A person could raise a chicken or two in the kitchen, one egg a day guaranteed, most days two. An inner city dweller can establish a 72 hour kit, for blackouts or other incidents that force us to stay in our homes. A flashlight, matches, candles and a case of water for each person, a good basic 72 hour kit, available at the dollar store with the exception of the water. Learn an important skill, become a knot tying expert, rig up a small solar light system, understand how to purify water or dealing with plumbing when the utilities are out. Learn where to shut off the gas, water and electrical supplies, learn first aid. It's all very important in becoming self reliant, and our quest to become as "self reliant as I can possibly be." Pick a skill, master it, pick one that will be to the benefit of everyone you run into, pick one of interest and become passionate about it. A disabled person in the city could become quite self reliant, many have.
  If you live in the suburbs there are many more ways to become "as self reliant as I possibly can be." A person doe's not have to be the supplier of all goods for all people in the times of upheaval in our day to day lives, just some basic items to ease the stress of trying to do without for several days or weeks. Collect rain water in drums, have a small garden, stock up on water, develop skills and passion. An explanation of rain water collection may be read by clicking here.
  I am disabled, I think that is an advantage in becoming self reliant. Confined to a wheel chair, recliner, canes and crutches we, if others are like me, are constantly dreaming up ways to accomplish tasks without asking for help. We are able to become very self reliant and take enormous pride in it. Raised bed gardens, raise earthworms, raise a few chickens, set up 72 hour kits, we are all able to achieve the level of self dependence we desire.

Notice the chicken in the bottom
center? A kitchen coop at one time
was a "must have" kitchen convenience

  We don't have to prepare to evacuate, fight, or any of the stage four disaster preparations that seem to capture the imagination of many people. Most of us have no interest in stockpiling ammunition, firearms or to build a bunker, we want our lives to return to normal as quickly as possible. That's what my business is built on, help people to prepare for that first 3-5 days after a catastrophic event occurs. Having enough on hand to survive 3 days in our homes during a loss of utilities is a noble task, having enough to live for years in isolation is a life style choice. There is a big difference, few people have a desire to live their lives preparing for it to end in a disastrous way.
  Achieving self reliance to any degree is a lot of fun, it's interesting and challenging, there is no cut and dried instruction on what we should each do, it's totally up to the individual. I sat in my scooter helping my grandson rebuild the motor in a truck his mom gave him. Take it to grandpa's house, he will help you fix it, one of my skills is I am a very good mechanic. I sat there telling him what to do, he did all of the work, he succeeded in repairing the truck. I passed some skills on to him, he will pass some of those on to his little brother and so it will continue. They are becoming self reliant by the day. Any skill you master, no matter what it is, is huge in becoming self reliant. My grandson is extremely proud of the fact he repaired that truck, no one can ever take that away from him. Develop passion.
  My wife and I years ago when the kids were small came up with a saying, indeed it's become our motto "complete one positive step every day, no matter what." It can be as small as replacing a light bulb in a hard to get place or as big as painting a fence, just do something, at the end of the year there are 365 tasks completed that may not have gotten done if it wasn't a daily goal. Learn how to build a survival plan, click here.
  In our desire to become as self reliant as we possibly can be, if we decide in a disaster there is no way I can survive without coffee in the morning, make it a priority. If I decide I need that hat with the pony tail sticking out the back in order to survive 3 days, well, that's just the way things are.
  Thank you for reading, please comment, add something, ask a question or criticize I appreciate it all.

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