So… prepared for what? Why do I need to be prepared? How can I prepare for everything that might happen?
The answer to these questions is that preparation is as much a state of mind as a physical activity. The world is a scary place sometimes and, although we have got used to a national or local network of support, it wasn’t always this way. Perhaps we have got a little complacent about this network and we may all be a little guilty of taking it for granted. As I write this in the spring of 2020 the United Kingdom is, like the rest of the world, under the fearful cloud of the Covid-19 virus. Normal life has all but ceased and we find ourselves in a state of stress and isolation. Were we prepared? Was our Government prepared? I’m pretty certain that the only answer you can come up with is ‘No, we were not prepared. How could we be?‘
Let’s go back to what I just said. ‘Preparation is as much a state of mind as a physical activity.’ Just for a moment clear your mind of all the day to day pressures and priorities and think about yourself, your family group and your extended family and friends. How stable is that relationship? I don’t mean are you having constant arguments with your partner or your outgoings are more than your income – that’s often a feature of modern life. I mean are you and your family unit able to give any thought to what you would need to do if things took a turn for the worse – just as it has this year.
Let me give you a nudge: How would you answer the following questions…
- What would be the effect if the power went out for a day?
- What would you do if the garbage collection went on strike for a fortnight?
- How would you cope if it rained for a month?
- What would be the effect if your medication could not be renewed for six weeks?
- How would you suffer if you were confined to your house for six months?
Just thinking about those questions is the beginning of the process of preparation. So well done! You’ve started the process, it gets easier from here. As we go on this journey together we will look at the effects of these unexpected changes to your normal routine. We will look at:
- Getting yourself mentally fit to deal with change
- Making sure your body is well cared for
- Maximising your financial flexibility
- Get ready to work collectively with your family and friends
- Keeping yourself and your family safe and secure
- Coping with short term disruption to your way of life
- Understanding the effects of long term disruption
- Zombie attack
(This last one was there partly as a joke just to see if you were reading carefully – but then again, many of the survivalists or ‘preppers’ out there base their plans and preparations on something as illogical as flesh-eating dead people. It gives them a focus, however ridiculous, on something notional they can prepare to fight.)
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Paddling 