SUFFICIENCY
Self reliance, the concept of enough, and any other meanings of the word I can sprinkle in.
Because living simply is living small, it’s good to be able to take care of situations that come up…
And enough really is enough sometimes.
(A work in progress last worked in Oct. 2022. I’m editing a book on this topic and will be putting up excerpts - stay tuned!)
Sufficiency is an odd title for a page, but it neatly frames a few aspects of life that, given this podium, I feel compelled to share. They are how I made it this far; they are why my life might seem a bit more free, a little more at peace, even somewhat magical. Sufficient means enough to take care of ones needs. These days - especially these days - you put a “Self” in front of it and the picture that comes to mind is some dude in a bunker prepping for Armageddon. He’s an example of an extreme, and this is what the screens show you - the most extreme example of something, and then the most ridiculous extreme example of the opposite end of the spectrum, and then they tell you “these are your two choices, this is what’s happening” and draw a big thick line down between them. They do this for their own agenda, and sell a lot of stuff to those they stir up and push off to the edge with it.
Me? I live a small, rural life I stumbled into. At one Y in life years ago, my friends went on to stages and tour buses and I was called to the woods. I sang my songs to the trees, under the deep Texas skies. Life was raw on raw land; but it built me as I built it… a path that gave me lessons and perspectives, hands-on experience building a homestead, and some time with tools that made life much easier - or at least less dependent on other people or sheer luck. That’s what I want to share here. With the uncertain ways things are, being a little more ready and a little better prepared is rarely the wrong answer. It amazes me how some see anyone with some extra toilet paper and beans around, and a means to protect their families out where there IS no nearby law enforcement, as “scared.” I mean, I don’t have a little money put back because I’m scared; I’ve run out before and took steps so when the unexpected happens again (is it really unexpected after the first time anyway?) I can handle it better. I don’t have car or life insurance because I’m scared of hitting someone in my car or dying; I have them because accidents happen and death is a good probability at some point, and they seem like a responsible way to effectively help myself and the others deal with those situations properly.
I don’t have a fire extinguisher in my workshop because I’m scared of a fire. I have it because I’m prepared to handle the first layers of life’s disasters as my own first responder if necessary. That’s how I view being prepared - and I don’t view myself as sufficient if I can’t maintain myself. That takes preparation as a person, as a family, as a business, as a life. These things can’t fail over something little and stupid you could have taken care of with the least bit of forethought. I have band aids. My spare tire has air. You panicking and clearing all the ass paper off the shelves isn’t going to keep me from wiping. It’s that simple. And, let me tell you, having some supplies and tools and skills goes a long way toward stripping out literally layers of why you may feel anxious or nervous or helpless. Even if you can’t put your finger on those inside and say “Yeah, those are what I feel,” try taking steps to BE more ready and KNOW how to do more and you might be shocked at how much LESS uneasy you feel… no matter HOW much fear is shoved through your head holes by folks that know good and well a person on edge is easily tipped. Helpless feeling people are very quickly sold easy answers and used. Don’t be that. Life’s not that. So I’ll share with you some things in that mindset and I hope they help you pick the gear, gather the skills, and make the plans that help you out in tough times. It’s best you adapt whatever I say to YOUR conditions and needs; mine are different. But if I tell you it’s a damn good knife, know it’s been on my belt for years and it’s a damn good knife. The right one for you? That’s for you to decide in all cases.
As with any overall look at something big, like a life, we’re going to think of it in terms of systems. Necessary things, how they happen start to finish to do what they do in your life, and the equipment used (and alternatives) to do that. A quick example simplified for this introduction would be the “Shower system.” Source of water, storage for water, some kind of pump and hose, soap and shampoo, towel, where the used (in this case termed “gray”) water goes. Like that. There are common ways in the developed world the systems of a daily life happen, and alternatives. Many alternatives are found in places with less of an infrastructure, or the world of camping or RVing. They work too.
THE BASICS - Equipment, supplies, skills, etc.
(More coming)