Near Bonne Terre, MO

“Success depends upon previous preparation, and without such preparation there is sure to be failure.” – Confucius

Preparation – Something done to get ready for an event or undertaking.  I have always believed that success will never happen without preparation.  I know, I hear all the groans out there.  Yeah there have been those times that I have succeeded without preparing but I am here to tell ya that a blind hog will find an acorn every now and then.

Two friends of mine from high school and I are going to do a 7 day float on the Big River.  We are going to camp on sandbars and all three of us are over 60.  I am a firm believer in being prepared, especially for an event like this.  I bought a one man tent, summer sleeping bag and a few other things for the trip and I want to know they will perform well for me.  Tonight we were supposed to get some heavy rain and storms so I wanted to see how the tent is going to hold up in this situation soooooooo, I am camping in the backyard tonight.  I started the fire with what ever materials I could find and used the old trusty ax and steel.  I have had people laugh at me for doing this but the way I see it is if I NEED to start a fire to be able to survive I want to know I can do it and the only way to have enough confidence in yourself to get it done, is by being prepared for anything.

Fire I started using by using ax and steel.

I guess I am to the point of being a fanatic because I have been known to take off into the woods when it is raining cats and dogs and I see if I can start a fire.  I am not batting a thousand I can tell you that much.  I do feel confident in surviving if anything major happens.  I really feel that confidence is a major part of success and you gain confidence as you prepare.  For example, as you were flying over the Rockies the jet engines fail and you crash land in the mountains.  No one has any idea how to start a fire.  You think, well I have read about it but never done it.  I don’t care who you are, you are going to fail unless the good Lord has decided to make you the survivors savior.  Now let us think about this scenario, your plane has crashed and you have discovered that you are the only one that has any idea on how to start a fire.  You think to yourself, well I have started over 40 fires in various conditions, I got this,  Prepared=Confidence.

There was a time when our children were prepared for life.  Then some know it all came up with this idea that we shouldn’t spank our children and that everyone is a winner, no losers and everyone gets a trophy.  Really?  This is ok I guess if we lived in a perfect world but for those of you who think we do pardon me as I slap you.  We don’t live in a perfect world so it behooves you to realize that some day you will fail and you will lose, so put on your big boy/girl panties and suck it up buttercup.  It is part of life’s learning cycle.  Now for those of you who think I might have been a little harsh here all I can tell you is that I care about people and I want to see them succeed.  I want to help them and you can’t do that by telling them no one loses.

My home for six nights on the Big River

This will be home for tonight.  They are calling for storms but it doesn’t look like it is going to happen.  I really want to see how it fairs in the storms.  It is going to be my home for 6 nights and I want to be sure it will perform to what I need it to do,  Maybe tomorrow night.

Thanks for reading.  It is very much appreciated.  Remember to be kind to one another, share the love and don’t squat with your spurs on.