Self-Reliance, keep reading to learn one definition.

Take a chance, make a change it will be worth it!

I have several grandsons that are now over the age of 18, one of them headed to Michigan just over one year ago. His mom bought him a 1995 Mitsubishi pickup, they are a very durable and popular model shared by several manufacturers. The number of them on the road translates into an abundance of new spare parts available. It was owned by an older man who then sold it to my son in law to use in his business as a delivery truck. It blew a head gasket shortly after most likely due to overheating, he asked me if I would help him fix it. I'm a good mechanic having spent 50 years rebuilding machinery of all manner from small engines to boilers larger than most homes. Of course, we can fix it, a good learning experience for him and a way for me to spend some time with him. I'm restricted to a mobility scooter, (I usually don't mention my disability but this is pertinent), I pointed and he worked. It was fun, it was educational for both of us, it added to his confidence and he became a little more self-reliant. Self-Reliance, self-awareness, and accepting responsibility for our actions are the foundation of my life's philosophy. We completed the repair, he had to learn to drive a stick shift and I am sure by the time he got to Michigan he was an expert. I bid him adieu and off he went, the Southern route, it was winter. He rigged up an air conditioner using a foam cooler, 12-volt fan, and ice, it worked, I liked his originality. My parting words as he sped off were "keep in touch!", I knew he would, as I knew he would have problems on the 2500 mile road trip alone. He called from somewhere in Utah, (Green River valley?), the truck would not go into gear, he was on the side of the highway. He fixed it with a conversation with me and his skills, it was a small plastic part, I told him to buy two, one as a spare. Continuing on to his aunt's house in Denver, he stayed for a few days. He is becoming "self-reliant", learning new skills and gaining abilities that not everyone knows, I began thinking about what being "self-reliant" really means, I will attempt to do it justice with this blog.

Take the award when it's earned.

1)  Take responsibility for our actions, reap the rewards as well as admitting to others what went wrong, and what I could have done to have changed the outcome. We can live and work anywhere we want, the only people not making mistakes or putting their foot in their mouths are the ones not doing anything. We must expect to make mistakes and to say the wrong things. Importantly when we do admit a mistake or a slip of the tongue and an apology is in order the secret is to be sure our apology is sincere, if not the words will sound like it. It is advisable not to start the statement with "If I have offended anyone...", we all know if we have or not.

There are plenty of sayings related to taking responsibility, my mom would say two things that stick in my mind "you made the bed now lay in it," I think most of us heard that growing up, and "Blessed is he who helps himself." the basis of being self-reliant. Plan your own activities, take credit or blame as fitted for what we have done, check what is your responsibility and repair as needed, I was working in the boat today and noticed an inflatable life vest was inflated, the usual suspects come to mind, one of the three grandson's that have been helping me over the past few weeks. When they all return I will ask for someone to take responsibility, only because it was discharged and tossed on the deck, deflated and unfolded someone is going to fold it up. More important is to accept responsibility for it, it's not a big deal, it is, however, a big deal if it is left not owned up to. He is 20 years old, he should have folded it back up and said: "Hey grandpa I blew up the life vest and I don't know what to do next." I would have laughed and shown him. Now it's got to be a "don't leave anything broken lying around for the next guy to deal with." Talk, that is how we learn.

2)  Never stop learning if we lack a high level of curiosity we are able to create it, we can become curious which will, in turn, create a  passion, it will contribute to your self-care ideas and survival prepping. Curiosity covers the how, who, what, where, why and when of things, it reaches into scientific analysis or spiritual insight. Curiosity creates a mindset of constant wonder and marvel, I wonder why we don't have alligators in California, where have the birds gone? Curiosity creates learning, it demands a person to learn, gathers interest and creates the desire to become engaged in projects. I met a big man, I mean this guy was big, 6"8" would not be an exaggeration, weighing probably 300 pounds, the only man I have ever met who was bigger was Andrea the Giant, (that's another blog). The big man had in his hand a walking cane, I use two canes, we are both 67 years old and walking impaired. He showed me his cane, it was a unique cane that was bent in an unusual way. I told him "I like this cane, I am going to see if I can make one." Since then I have made three, not perfect, my bending of wood is a challenge due to not knowing how it is done. I researched and I am now making a steam chest from "stuff" I have laying around and some reclaimable materials my neighbors gave to me. I am not completed yet, I will be tomorrow, I made a goal of making a Youtube video of the construction of the box, then I will make a video of making a cane. Which lead to my creating a YouTube channel and the planning of 4 other projects I will be videotaping. That is how curiosity created learning works. When a child asks a question it is at that time the learning door opens, take advantage of it, go ahead talk about learning is a lot of fun, just ask anyone.

Another grandson sat down and started a conversation about Napolean Bonaparte, my knowledge of him did not come close to his.
That conversation inspired me to read extensively about him, then my grandson and I had a really good conversation, it continues on after six months. Ignorance puts us at the mercy of others, read, write, experiment and think.

It's a learning thing.

3)  Set some goals and write them down, I read a quote "An unwritten goal is just a wish", (Thanks to Antoine de Saint Exupery). It can be as elaborate as you want or as short, it is after all your goal.

I tell people that I am a "uni-tasker", I have never been able to work on more than one project at a time. It's not for everyone, my wife thinks of it as a "disability", she is an insufferable "multi-tasker", her battle cry is "I'm going to get organized!". My battle cry is more of a whimper in comparison "I'm doing this today, that tomorrow and that over there after that, yes I'm a uni-tasker". Set the goals high, a mistake I made when I was young, making goals that were easy to attain. We should set goals one step beyond what we think is attainable for our skills, that will create a learning environment, creating the passion to finish the task at hand. A lot of people write their goals down, some (as my wife does) places a photo of the goal somewhere she will see it the first thing in the morning. I'm on the other end of the spectrum, I don't write it down, use pictures or any motivation other than a commitment to memory. We are each capable of creating goals that we can create a passion for, in bird books at the back is a check-off list of which birds are sighted, some make that a goal. Think for ourselves, "believe none of what you read and half of what you read," another sing-song I heard constantly growing up, think for yourself my parents told me. When questions such as "that can't possibly be so," or "there must be more to the story." The questions scream out "find out what's going on," read all you can about the subject at hand, make that a goal, I will not settle for things to be explained to me, I want to discover for myself. If I fail, I want to fail on my own terms.

4)  If you live on a homestead, a farm, in the wilderness or a suburban setting being self-reliant is a lifestyle. It's a constant learning experience, as well as the routine every day mundane task it takes to make life worth living. Self-reliance is about us making decisions and learning tasks and skills that apply to the world as we see it, not everyone raises goats or chickens, a standby hand water well pump is not very common, repairing items that are not repairable is part of it as well. As is inventing ways to accomplish tasks that need to be completed, sometimes it is up to the individual that is facing the challenge, I like to see the boys figure things like that out. Being self-reliant is about being prepared for whatever we may encounter, it means having a family emergency plan, a natural disaster kit available in the home, emergency tools and other emergency preparedness we need to make. It means to exhibit compassion to our fellow humans, to be overly prepared for a disaster up to the point of having enough to share with my neighbors who are unprepared. A 21-year-old grandson is living with us currently, our goal is to make him think, he has a tendency to do the absolute minimum, we are making headway. Sometimes they are small gains but to me, they are huge, such as planning a long trip home.

5)  Learning of skills, carpentry, farming, and mechanics as well as others, I am not a believer in a complete collapse of society, however, I am a believer in a temporary complete collapse. By that I mean the loss of utilities, transportation and a shortage of food, I believe it will happen. Due to many potential causes, civil unrest, depression (again), natural disasters or other incidents that may cause us to stay where we are for extended periods. Being able to supply 80% of our needs during a natural disaster for a period of seven days is a good goal to set. Government agencies that deal with emergencies recommend a 3 day supply, its a good start, but by adding a 24 case of pint water to it will expand that supply to 7 days. Events are very capable to last for that length of time, it is best to be prepared for it in advance. I personally strive to have enough supplies on hand to satisfy my now small family for that amount of time but to have on hand enough to become a responder able to help my neighbors with no pre-conceived judgments of them, at some point we all need help.

Things are better when we know one another.

 It is an important skill to meet your neighbors, it's easier to get to know them now versus in the middle of an event that is unfolding. When we are isolated we will have to depend on each other, it doesn't matter what our opinion of them is now, at some point we will have to band together for our combined survival. It is especially important if we are located in a rural area, or in the North where blizzards commonly keep people indoors, with no utilities. The first skill is learning to get along with people, it will pay off, who knows we may even like them. Each of us possesses skills that are indispensable and teachable, the more we know the more effective we will be when a disaster strikes, and the more we talk and share the more successful we will be as a survival unit.

Everyone knows how to do something, none of us know how to do everything.

To summarize, self-reliance is to have faith in yourself, confidence in the abilities you have, to be honest with ourselves and others, being trustworthy, and to rely upon ourselves by first trying everything first before seeking help, we make our own decisions, we are able to make decisions and act on them. That is how we learn Self-reliance is a personal journey, it does not set a person apart from others or cause aloofness, it is created from the heart and brain integrated into our lives in a slow steady pace. As a matter of fact, many people wonder what the big deal with self-reliance is all about, normally exclaiming "what's so new about this stuff, I've always done these things." Most of us are more self-dependent than we realize, most of us live it every day, if there is dought ask a young mother.

  Thank you for reading, there is a lot more to this subject, I hope there is an inspiration in this blog for you. Thanks for reading and sharing my blog, it's an interesting subject and I'd like to hear your input, tell me where your expertise is, or where you are headed. Thanks again.



jacquesandkate  emergencykitsplus.com