Ep 65 | Holes in My Preps – Thoughts From The Loo

It's storm season, and we had the potential for large hail, high winds, and tornadoes…It made me realize I've got a few holes in my preps.#LettieLoo #thoughtsfromtheloo #prepping #preps #storms #tornadoes #shelterinplace

So I’ve embarked on a 60 day situational awareness challenge. Liberty Belle is the sponsor of the Be Your Own Hero Challenge, and the woman who owns the company has put together an AWESOME overall challenge, as well as weekly mini-challenges for the women who are participating. I’m really excited to be joining several dozen women across the county as we work on our own situational awareness, and I’ve already shared some of my own experiences with it over the years with them.

As I’ve been making sure I’m more aware of my surroundings, I’m also taking stock of what I currently do to keep myself safe and out of the eyes of others. Two weeks ago, we added a second curtain rod with sheer curtains for our front window. It’s this HUGE window in our living room, and it faces the street. Our second project involved with the window will be planting some bushes in front of it to reduce accessibility. It has already made a difference. When I’m in the living room, my eye is always catching movement outside – a car or truck driving by, someone walking by, etc. One day (before we put up the sheers) I caught a neighbour of ours peering in the window; he was NOT expecting me to be looking outside when I caught his movement out of the corner of my eye. He immediately picked up his pace and went right to his house. I haven’t seen him loitering around (my house at least) since.

When we go out during the week, it is me and the boys. Being so dang cold here in winter, I regularly found myself with blinders on, focusing only on getting the kids in and out of the truck. I wasn’t looking around to see what or who was near me. On our weekend shopping trips, I would have Squatch with me, and he would usually have Little Man with him while I had Bug. I was able to only focus on one child, and was more likely to pay attention to what was happening around me. Yes, it was cold, but not worrying about two littles made it A LOT easier to be aware.

I will say that it’s not easy. Two weeks ago, I went to the chiropractor for a presentation on sensory issues and how neurology comes into play. As I left, I noticed that there were no street lights outside of his office. It was after 8pm, and it was chilly out, so I quickly made my way to the truck. I had remote started it as I was walking out the door, so it was warming up as I neared it. I unlocked the doors, and once I opened Bug’s door, I heard voices on the other side. I quickly hit the lock button to lock ALL doors and got him buckled into his seat as fast as I could. I stepped away, shutting the door, and took a quick step towards the back of the truck, peeking around to see what was going on. I saw two men outside the VFW on the next block talking next to a truck, so I reduced my alertness a notch. I had to unlock the truck again to get in and drive away, and I decided then that my “new normal” (How I despise that phrase after 2020) will be that I unlock the vehicle to get the kids in, but as soon as one door is open, the rest get locked. Safety first, y’know?

I’ve always been a tad…obsessive, I guess you could say…when it comes to locking the doors of my vehicle. At the gas station, I take my keys with me, locking all doors while I’m pumping gas; keys in my pocket. And I don’t just stand there as the gas is going on, I’ll walk around the vehicle, check the tires, maybe clean the windows. But I’m also looking around to see who is at the gas station, what vehicles are going in and out, and look for anything out of the ordinary.

Heck, if I get to the gas station and the only open pump has someone questionable next to it, or even in the area, I will NOT park there. I also don’t wait until the gas tank lights up on my dashboard to fill up. Once I hit a quarter tank left, I am gassing up to full. In winter, when it get REALLY cold, I’ll fill up at a half tank. I don’t take chances on running out of gas. I have decided that a needed prep for me is a small 1-gallon gas can, to be kept in the back on the off chance I run out of gas and need to walk to a station. I’m not carrying a 5 gallon gas can however far it is to/from the gas station, that’s just craziness.

Now, situational awareness isn’t just SEEING what is around and happening. It is being aware of your gut. Is your gut recoiling, telling you that turning down that street is a bad idea? Your subconscious is noticing something YOU are not in those situations. Turn right instead of left, and see what happens when you listen to your body. I KNOW that I get tense whenever I go down to Illinois and visit family in the suburbs. The tense-ness starts as we get close to Madison, and eases up just past Rockford, and starts up again outside of Elgin. Now, when I say I get tense, I mean it. My entire body gets tight, and it feels like I am constantly on alert and on the defensive when I’m in such populated areas. I don’t get like that when I’m out and about up here, not even when I’m at WalMart or a local fair or festival. There is something in being around such a mass of humanity that my body just does not enjoy, and it is telling me as such.

So, to bring us to a conclusion…for now, because I will be revisiting this topic over the coming months…Take off your blinders. Look around you. SEE your surroundings for once. And listen to what your gut is saying. It won’t be easy at first, but if you keep it up, it will soon be second nature.