Teaching others

Oldest daughter is finally making friends.  They moved here almost five years ago.  For the first year they lived with me.  Then I bought a "rental" property and they moved into it.  It took a while living there to meet people.  Son-in-law doesn't socialize with the guys at work so daughter hasn't made friends with his coworkers wives.  She's a stay at home mom and it wasn't until her daughter became more social that she's gotten to make friends with the girls moms.  

None of her daughter's parents garden, cook, sew, or any of those types of tasks which may be needed when TSHTF.  Daughter is skilled in gardening and cooking.  She is semi-mechanical.  Son-in-law is a mechanic so she's learned a lot watching him rebuild just about everything.

Today oldest daughter called to say that they were at the store picking out fruit trees.  She named two nectarines and wanted to know which was going to suit her better.  Not a cling.  While those are great to eat they are a pain when canning.  Same with the apricot trees.  Which kind of persimmon is the type she likes?  Fuyu, the kind that's hard like an apple, not soft and mushy.  She bought a blood orange tree and something else.  They bought five fruit trees total.  That's a good start!  

She said that one of her friends is planting some fruit trees as well.  She got advice on which kind she should advise her friend to buy.  I'm pretty pleased that she's trying to turn their home more into a self sustaining place and also influencing her friends to do the same.  They'll never get fully sustainable, but anything is better than nothing!

I didn't post yesterday and am late getting something posted today.  The grand kids and I spent a couple of days at a retreat of sorts.  We chose not to spend the night but to make the 30 minute drive home each night.  The retreat is still going on, until around 9 or 10 tonight but the kids were exhausted so we came home an hour before dinner.  They got their chores done, ate a small meal, and passed out in their beds! 

The lecturer was great.  He told story after story after story.  Of course they all either had a biblical connection or just some good values - depending on your own frame of mind.  I'm going to just give you the ending to two of the stories. 

You can say this one has nothing to do with prepping - but it also has everything to do with prepping.  The first is about why many churches and temples are "dying".  Sure there are mega churches, but the neighborhood churches are having a hard time staying alive.  Our grandparents lived their lives and their religion as one.  There wasn't really a separateness to it.  They lived in closed groups.  The next generation had their regular life and their religion - things were on equal footing but not totally intertwined.  Most of their friends were the same religion.  The next generation (us) often had regular life front and center.  Religion is what we were, not who we were.  Our friends were whoever lived in the neighborhood.  Their religious background wasn't ever even considered.  We did religious things but didn't feel it.  Then came our kids.  Our kids were too involved in extracurricular activities.  They participated in religion when we had gatherings.  They listened to stories of the "old" ways.  Of course that's not religion.  Or at least that's not living your religion.  Their kids have nothing.  They feel nothing.  It's hard to support the church when it's just someplace that you have to go, not something that you live. 

Now, this isn't how it is for many people.  But I can see some of it in my kids.  If a place of worship had to be supported by the donations of my kids those places would die a quick death.  That's too bad as they are the ones losing out.  But I get a second chance!  The grand kids that I'm raising, now that's a different story.  While they have some friends at school that they play with, I am focusing them so that most of their friendships and activities include religion.  For them they will lives their lives and their religion as one. 

Let me tell you the lecturer made that story so real and told it so well.  How could we have strayed so far in only a few generations? 
Why do I say that this has to do with prepping?  The families and religions stuck together and supported each other.  They were pretty
self sufficient.  With each passing generation we became less reliant on each other or God.  Now prepping groups are going back to relying on each other and supporting each other.  Living life and religion as one.  Just like prepping...it's best when it's completely intertwined in your life.  It's not just something you do, it's part of who you are.

The next story, which I'm not going to repeat (it took him 1/2 hour to get through the story) has to do with prepping.  Or at least that's a lot of what I got out of it.  If you read my little blurb about myself I don't say a whole lot other than I vote for calm not crazy when the world around us is a little nuts. 

The gist of the next story was that you have to differentiate between an annoyance and trouble.  Real trouble.  When you lose your temper.  When you get frustrated.  What is the cause?  An annoyance or real trouble?

If you are catching a plane and it's running two hours late.  You are pissed.  You are going to get in late, not get enough sleep, be tired for your meeting, etc.  So you are snotty to the person at the counter.  You raise your voice.  You just have a bad attitude.  But why?  Is it an annoyance or real trouble.  It's an annoyance that you are delayed.  It's an annoyance that you may be tired in the morning.  Do you want the plane to be repaired or do you want it to break down in flight?  Now that would be trouble! 

What about if you keep missing the green lights.  Red light after red light after red light.  Your tension is rising!  I can feel it as I write.  But learn to differentiate between an annoyance and trouble.  Think about it.  You have good enough health to be able to drive a car.  You have a car, and the gas it takes to get somewhere.  Red lights are not trouble.  They are an annoyance. 

You are ready to smack me through the computer!  I am an annoyance this evening.  And I'm not even telling you to count to ten before you react.  To me, the person who says that is an annoyance!  But, what's the point of this?  If you can keep your calm and not let the annoyance bother you, you will have a better life.  Perhaps you will be able to also have trained yourself to keep your cool when there is trouble.  You will think more clearly if you do not get annoyed.  That's all.