This morning I awoke to a wonderful world. God has given us a nice cool cloudy morning and the pollen has my allergies on full alert which keeps my nose on a regulated drip. When I jerked my first cup of the day I dripped a long line of coffee across the wife's white tile floor. Both The Drudge Report and Fox News report possible hostilities in the Ukraine. Much of our nation is under a cold blanket of white and Susan's old goat died. She reportedly cried for three days. She emailed and said her will to live and work the land of her organic free range homestead had come to an end, and asked what price should she paint on the for sale sign.
Take it easy. Relax, for Pete's sake.
Millions across this great country are without work, or purpose, and find the meaning of life pointless. 'Ole Harry Sanders, out in his desert cabin, found dried mouse turds in his beer. It's said he almost commented suicide over the waste of it. Marriage has become secondary to the thrill of momentary lust. The lack of funds, money problems and corporate layoffs, have taken a great toll on otherwise rock solid relationships. Hundreds of thousands have lost their healthcare and suffer pain needlessly.
Want my advice. Smile. Cheer the heck up. Pet your dog and kiss your wife. Take your grandchildren, or your pet, for a walk. Enjoy the snow, or the rain, or the gray black satin city streets and while you're there, reach over and give your neighbor a handshake. God is good - He's given you life.
I receive, as Little Bit is fond of saying, 'whole lots of email.' Many I truly enjoy. Others, not so much because the latter are inevitably filled with lost hope and most of all, fear. They begin, "Mr. Stephen, Harry lost his job and we just don't have enough money to buy beans and bullets and our bread has grown moldy and what should we do? Oh my Lord we're scared and the world is about to end, please help us." I paraphrased, of course. Bless their hearts.
(I write this tongue in cheek but I take your letters seriously, and with respect, and treat all confidentially.)
Hey, folks, chill out. Smile. Take a deep breath and relax. Trust me, if the world ends tomorrow a bag of beans will not help you one little eddy bit. Several years in the past I gathered together a group of friends. It took me over four years but eventually I found several nice families with like minded world views much like mine own. I restricted my search to hardened military minds, men of violence. My first advice to these men, are you ready for it - 'Don't Live In Fear, Live Prepared.' Today each of these men, some combat vets, are gentle, intelligent, fun loving, men. They walk through life with a smile on their faces and live life to its fullest.
Why, because they are not afraid. They take life's lumps with heads held high, and because they know the rest of the group has their backs and God will provide. They don't complain. They don't whimper and cry for they know tomorrow will be another beautiful day under His beautiful benevolent care.
No person need walk through life in constant fear, it isn't healthy. Just because you're a Prepper (or Survivalist) do not allow the lifestyle to badge you paranoid. You have friends, family, and if you are a believer in a higher power - God and His church.
Paranoid gives birth to fear and fear is a sneaky old bitch. It warps the gray matter and whispers bad advice. It'll make you climb trees for sleep and one morning you'll awaken to find you've lined the walls of your home with canned tomatoes and you'll have coated your underwear with lead and when you glance into the mirror find loaded magazines dangle from your ears instead of those pretty diamonds Jesse gave you for Christmas.
Which brings me to this: those prepping supplies will wait. When money is tight - take a friggin break. It isn't necessary to buy twenty extra rounds of ammunition. Leave off on the beans and pressure bandages. Stockpiling that extra one hundred gallons of gasoline can wait until next Spring. Take care of your children and families. Pay the mortgage and utilities, the end of the world as we know it will be placed on hold, I promise.
If the evil whispers in your ear and suggest it would be a wonderful idea to take your battle rifle and walk towards the school grounds with ill intent - please pause a moment and sit and write me an email. I will listen. If this same evil has painted your life into a corner and believes it's best if you offer your God given life as a sacrifice, please remember I will be here - allow me a moment to suggest otherwise. Walk outside for just a second and take a deep breath of our Lord's clean air and look at that sky, isn't it beautiful. Listen to the birds sing. Hold a child in your arms. Bake a batch of cookies. I promise - life is wonderful and tomorrow the cherry blossoms will bloom.
Be happy.
Stephen
Good advice, Stephen. Thanks for being there for those folks.
ReplyDeleteThanks, my friend. I'm just a bump in the night.
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ReplyDeleteI turned off much of that fear inducing media and was amazed how quickly my mood improved. I don't advocate ignorance of the world around us, but it isn't worth being miserable.
ReplyDeleteVery true, Bubba. The media of today has much in common with cancer.
DeleteYes, very good advice. Except you forgot one thing.... when baking cookies one should add chocolate. Always a good pick-me-up ;-) But if you can't have chocolate in your cookies, like you said, go outside (with cookies in hand) and look at all the marvelous things God has created.
ReplyDeleteThanks, my friend...hey, you need to write. You're missed.
DeleteBeen working on it - definitely a little rusty! :-)
DeleteThank you. Sometimes I need to be reminded that it is necessary to stop and smell the roses now and then.
ReplyDeleteMy pleasure, my lovely friend. Just watch those thorns.
DeleteStephen, you my friend, speak words of wisdom. If you read the doom and gloom every day it will drive you to the edge. Some can't walk away, instead they jump. A new poll today says over 57% of Americans dislike Obummer. Fox news saying the GOP has a lead over the Dummy-crates in the mid term elections.
ReplyDeleteIt is important to stay focused but equally important not to worry yourself into an endless nightmare. Thanks, Rob.
DeleteYou know-I believe that any day whether it is a bad one or not, that God gives a person to remain alive...is a Good Day.
ReplyDeleteAnd What Matt Said...if folks would stop watching so much of the MSM, they would see how quickly their moods and outlook on life would change.
Thanks, my sweet friend.
DeleteYour post pulled my up short today. You are absolutely right and you made me realize that I was falling into that black hole of paranoia lately. We have been talking about ditching the TV satellite and going exclusively with books and radio and conversation. So much bad news and crap on the media....enough!! Thanks so much.
ReplyDeleteSweet One, there is a lot to be said for a quiet evening of radio and books by lamplight. Enjoy.
DeleteYour a good man
ReplyDeleteYou are too, my new friend. Thank you very much.
DeleteJust because you find small primers in your 45 or you hit hard times it could be worse, you could live in the Ukraine.
ReplyDeleteFood for thought. Those little primers worry the heck out of me. Vikings, tonight.
DeleteBeautiful words form a good and wise heart.
ReplyDeleteWow.
Thanks, my dear friend...but, I'm far from wise. Good depends on the day and how many cups of coffee I have under my belt.
DeleteAmen and thank you.
ReplyDeleteYou are more than welcome, my sweet friend. Do you blog? Thanks.
DeleteI did but gave it up due to time and to many projects. I still read lots of blogs though and love yours. Thank you for your words of wisdom. Cheers from Australia.
DeleteNot what I would recommend. Other than taking care of family and the mortgage first anyway. But if it works for ya then it's all good I imagine.
ReplyDeleteGive us your thoughts, Bubba....and thanks.
DeleteWe sleep with a TV on in our bedroom. Up until 3 weeks ago it was always...always on Fox News. Same news... different day. I went to bed with it and woke up with it. They may be fair and balanced but hours and hours of gloom and doom takes its toll. I found a channel called Church TV. I don't agree with everyone on this channel but piping in the word of God instead of the word of Fox has made a difference.
ReplyDeleteBy the way...the Marine always tells me that any day above ground is a good day. Good thoughtful post today Stephen.
there's gotta be about several million reasons why i love The Marine, actually he's all of ours Marine. this is just only one of them. somehow He knows what is and is not important. xoxox
DeleteGood for you, Mama...my wife has the same thoughts as you. She's a big Billy Graham fan. Thanks, my lovely friend. Tell the Marine I said hello.
DeleteYep! We have it better than 90% of the world's people no matter how bad it may be currently. My statistics. :-)
ReplyDeleteVery true...but isn't life and the living of it a very personal experience...that's the trick of it. Thanks, my good friend.
DeleteTurning off the talking head media is a big help, no doubt. I tend to find print media a little more thorough, and thus a little easier to read between the lines on.
ReplyDeleteIf you don't have enough money for beans and bullets, then just buy beans and rice. I have survived a long time on peanut butter and jelly sandwich's, apples, and.....hmmm beer. LOL
Like you I'm a print media fan. These days some folks find it difficult with funds enough for their daily meals much less next months. It's best, in my humble opinion, to gather your bootstraps and get back on solid ground then return to your normal schedule of preps. Thank you, Bubba.
Deletesweet one - i receive emails from people who never comment on our blog and the emails are similar to the ones you mention. and are from people in canada and the us. and we always need to be mindful that what we put up on our blogs, can help or hinder other people. i don't do politics on my blog - there are a million other places for people to find stuff like that. i am really glad that you put up this post and hope that you will do more like it. sometimes all we have is the words of another person. and sometimes those words are worth more than gold. people listen to you, dear sweet one, and if you can help only one person from panicking, then i think Sweet Wife has done her job at church. i know that you know what i mean. love always to you and yours, and that Little Bit is turning into such a beauty!
ReplyDeleteyour friend,
kymber
Thank you, sweetheart...you're a fine lady.
DeleteLincoln, Wilson, and FDR were all more destructive to the Old Republic than Obama could ever hope to be. He is just playing in the ashes of what they burned to the ground.
ReplyDeleteVery true, Chris, can't argue the point. Obama has just kicked the destruction into overdrive. Thanks, and hey, write. Your audience awaits.
ReplyDeleteSend you an email? You say that multiple times in this post ...but where, pray tell, is your email addy listed on this blog? For the life of me, I have not been able to find it.
ReplyDelete~Hossboss
Well I'll be, if it isn't my long lost sweet friend....welcome back. The email address is listed on the sidebar under, 'If You Must.' Bee hives in the background. I check this email about three times a week, so be patient with me. Thanks, my friend.
DeleteWell, dang ...I should have figured it was my bad. I think I read every square inch of your blog ...except THAT square inch. Thanks for straightening me out. Sigh.
DeleteI've been here. I read, just haven't commented because blogger won't let me sign in. But I finally remembered that I have a Wordpress ID and used that.