Evening all!
I believe that ultimately the best prep (preparation) any one can make is to reach the point of acceptance, of surrender and trust.
Every one living dies; I will, and you will, and (I believe) prepping is simply a responsible form of insurance that will, God Willing, see our families through the unforeseen, be that illness, injury, or a cataclysmic event, or a combination of all three.
Worrying never helped anyone and it changes one’s reality from hopeful to dismal. At the moment, we are all living, and we need to live each moment in peace, and with gratitude and joy. That’s *living,* and we need to enjoy it to the fullest, while helping others to do the same.
I believe that a sensible person will prepare for future days, whatever they may bring, but do so happily, thankful that we can, and *expect* the best while preparing for the worst, whatever that may be.
I’ve been reading this forum for a long time, and so many here are motivated by fear - not all, of course, but too many. Prepping ought not to be an undertaking that we do out of desperation and dread. We rob ourselves of the joy of the moment, of *every* moment, when we live in fear. Don’t let that happen.
We only live once in this world, and we only have to die here once, and there are no exceptions. From the moment of our conception until we each draw our final breath, there are countless hazards strewn along life’s path which, intentionally or not, conspire to kill us, and one of those hazards will eventually succeed. But dwelling on that final hazard will make us miss the joys of the journey, the precious moments, the treasured memories like falling in love, the expression of that; the gift of having children and watching them grow; the gift of our senses and the awesome beauty of the natural world around us; friendships; food; clean water and fresh air; a warm bed; climbing mountains and/or diving in to turquoise waters, and developing the gifts that we each are given, and delighting in the wonder of it all. This is what we’re here for, to live, love, give thanks, and be happy!
So, by all means ‘prep’ continuously, and bury those preps, if/when necessary, but do it with a song in your heart and a grateful prayer for having the means to (hopefully) safeguard your family. Billions of people can’t prep for tomorrow - they don’t even have enough for today. Help them.
I’d *love* to see the fear dissipate from all the otherwise wonderful posts on TB, and I’d love to see the desperation that emanates from too many words on these pages, kicked to Hell, where it belongs.
So, prepare as you can for the unexpected, but for God’s sake, and your own, don’t let it steal your joy!
Life, with all its vicissitudes, is far too brief and wonderful (full of wonder) to waste a moment of it worrying.
Sláinte!
Kathy.