The Passion of the Day

I have so many interests that my husband can never keep up with me. He asks me every other day "So honey, where are your creative winds blowing you lately?", and usually it's something different than the last time he asked. Except the last two times I actually said the same thing. And what was that? Food storage!

I got a book from the library called "The Survivor's Club". It's about what separates people who survive a crisis situation from people who don't, and why. In the beginning of the book, he adds the disclaimer "I'm not a survivalist... I don't stockpile canned goods." I found humor in this statement, because it indicates that I am apparently a survivalist. And I would hope that there are more out there besides me! I may not have an underground bomb shelter, but I have some food saved. I'm not saying that the end of the world is nigh or anything, but just as you would have wished you saved money if your income stopped, wouldn't you wish you had saved some food if you ability to get food stopped? It's kind of a no-brainer. Why would a guy who writes a whole book on Survival ...not store some canned goods?

Then I found this blog by Kellene Bishop, and BOY has it ramped up my survivalist mentality. I like the button on her site - a big, round red button that says "DON'T PANIC!" because after you read her article, you'll need that button. She talks about some of the conditions in the world right now that would cause some trouble acquiring food in the future. It's very interesting.

Is it so weird to want to be ready if something happens? A man named Gerald Celente, founder of the Trends Research Institute, talks about what he calls "Neo-Survivalism", or instead of "the caricature, the guy with the AK-47 heading to the hills with enough ammunition and pork and beans to ride out the storm. This is a very different one from that : you're seeing average people taking smart moves and moving in intelligent directions to prepare for the worst. (...) Growing it your own, self-sustaining, doing as much as you can to make it as best as you can on your own and it can happen in urban area, sub-urban area or the ex-urbans."

Anybody ever heard of the recent trend "urban homesteading"? You surely know of that neighbor who is keeping some chickens in their backyard, or the family who has turned a third of their yard into a sustaining vegetable garden. Perhaps their reason is to grow organic foods without hormones, antibiotics, or pesticides, or to save money, but I think it is connected to survivalism. Basically it's about SELF-SUFFICIENCY! Doing things to help you survive on your own and not depend on someone else. Is this so weird? I think it's more dangerous for people to expect that there will always be whatever they need at the local grocery store, or if it IS there, that you will have enough money to buy it.

So call me a crazy survivalist and pass the cold pork and beans.