Prepared, Not Panicked

Covid-19 is pretty much the only thing people are talking about right now. The subject is dominating all of the headlines and is the main topic of conversation and speculation. Events big and small are being canceled, schools are closing, and people are being sent home to work.

It's hard to tell what will happen next. Will it continue to worsen? Will it fizzle out? What's the correct way to go about things right now? Hunkering down at home seems obvious, but what about the long term economic impact? There are a lot more questions than answers right now.

The biggest joke of this whole thing is the run on toilet paper. Covid is a respiratory, flu-like virus. It doesn't give you the runs. Nevertheless, people are freaking out and buying up all of the toilet paper. Like, even before they're stocking up on food, which is so crazy.

In addition to the TP shortage, we also have people beginning to clog up doctor's offices, ERs and Urgent Cares with every little cough and sniffle which wastes resources and exhausts medical professionals.

As far as I can tell, the root cause of all of the panic is that we are now a couple of generations deep into not knowing how to take care of ourselves. Hence people freaking out. Most folks have no idea what it means to take care of their health and are therefor dependent on doctors and medication. They don't know how to be prepared or what items they'd need for a quarantine so they freak out and stock up on ridiculous things instead of focusing on what's really needed.

So what's the secret to preparedness? It's simply this: being prepared is a lifestyle, not a one-time event. It's not just about stocking up on things, but it's about having the knowledge and wisdom to understand what is actually important to have on hand during various emergencies. It's having a basic understanding of what it means to be truly healthy and how to PREVENT illness and treat basic illness at home when it does strike. And it's about knowing who is actually in control.

We became the much-mocked preppers about 10 years ago. Now, I'm the first to admit that we're what you'd call "prepper light." We don't have a bunker or an armory or a homestead. We do what I call "sensible prepping."  We bought some long-term food items and stashed them away. These are items that are inexpensive and, when stored properly, can last for 20 years or more. Rice, oats, sugar, wheat berries, and the like. In addition to that, I try and keep extra of anything we eat on a regular basis on hand. We have extra applesauce, canned beans, tuna, canned coconut milk, stock, chili, baking items, honey, frozen veggies, frozen fruits, frozen meats, and sometimes frozen bread. Plenty of salt, oils, and herbs and spices.

We have a Berkey water filter, toilet paper, toiletries, cat food, etc. Not years worth, mind you, but enough to get us through 2 weeks easily, if not a couple of months.

As for health, that, too, is a lifestyle and not a panicked response. We try and focus on foundational health principles that prevent disease and illness. That's our first defense. Those things include good sleep, handwashing, eating well (NO sugar!), exercise and outside time, hydration, etc.

If we do get ill, we look for ways to support our bodies natural healing instead of suppression of symptoms. That means supplementation, homeopathy, essential oils, colloidal silver, herbs, and so on and so forth.

Berkey Water Filtration

Coffee and Herbs

Dried Food stash

Essential oils

Fresh fruits and veggies

Elderberry syrup, home health items.

Homeopathy stash

Daily smoothie add-ins

Stuffed freezer - veggies, fruits, meats

Toiletries, cleaning items, etc.

Our worth-it's-weight-in-gold TP and paper products stash

Having said all of that, we're under no illusions that all of the above means we're guaranteed going to be okay. Covid-19 or whatever else comes our way. These things are not what we put our faith in. They are a practical result of our faith - being good stewards of the bodies and resources God has blessed us with. Ultimately, though, we know that we cannot rely on our own strength, knowledge, or wisdom. We have to look to Christ, love and serve others well, and hope and pray for the best. We want to be able to say that we've done the very best we can do and let God handle the rest.

Panic is a natural response to those who don't have a firm foundation to rest on so take a good look at your current foundation and see where the cracks lie. Take control of your health, your resources, and most importantly, your faith. We aren't promised an easy, trouble-free life, but we can trade in our panic for peace.