Walt Disney had the vision to create a place whose sole purpose was to help folks forget their world for a time- a Fantasy-land that could transport us out of reality for a day or so. As individuals that are concerned about our lives, we need to be sure we are looking at reality, not a fabricated fantasy-land as our world. First of all, this article is not meant to offend anyone, I am just humbly submitting my opinions. I have had the good fortune to be on this planet for 50 plus years now, and despite my own goof ups, I am still here.

I wanted to share a few life lessons I have learned along the way that hopefully show the difference of living in Fantasy-land vs Reality. What I learned in many cases shows how reality differs in substantial ways from the Fantasy-land that many preppers envision will be their lives in a TEOTWAWKI situation.

Growing up on a dairy farm I learned:

• Hard work is hard
• Weather cannot be controlled – You must prepare for winter, spring, summer and fall
• Pipes freeze
• Animals get sick and die
• Animals are born
• You want to stay out of the mud
• Cows kick you – Watch out for the bull
• Milk spoils
• Insects win sometimes
• Rats are not your friend- You need barn cats
• Neighbors need help
• Crops fail and boom
• Tractors break down – Get your machinery ready ahead of time
• Gotta have a good truck
• Picnic lunches in the field are good
• Bees don’t like tractors
• It is satisfying to see content animals
• The way people treat animals speaks volumes about how they will treat people
• Sometimes things just go wrong
• Good tools payoff
• Gardens are hard work
• Do it right once
• Grandpa is usually right

Growing up, I moved to Alaska to become a commercial fisherman and learned:

• Hard work is hard
• You don’t have to like everyone you work with
• There isn’t a person on the planet you cant learn something from from
• Be a tourist wherever you go
• Not everyone lives the way you do
• Sometimes you have to eat Reuben sandwiches 5 days in a row – Be thankful you are eating
• Animals also want to survive
• One must adapt and overcome
• Step out of your comfort zone
• Sometimes 100 percent isn’t enough
• Enjoy good food
• Prepare for the weather
• Be a friend
• Work hard, play hard.

As a single dad, I learned:

• Sometimes just having a meal on the table is enough
• Life isn’t about the stuff
• Kids grow up way too fast
• You can talk about sex to your kids, and drugs, and alcohol etc.
• Be their parent, not their friend until later in life
• Be consistently adequate
• Admit your mistakes
• Don’t automatically hate their boyfriends, still show them the guns though…
• Shut the TV off!
• Go camping, fishing, volunteering
• Love each other
• Accept help when needed
• Don’t put down your ex, the kids will figure it out
• Encourage your kids to work hard, oldest is lawyer, next is scientist, youngest is coach
• Protect your family, but be responsible with weapons, teach them to shoot, self-defense
• With privileges comes responsibility
• Don’t look down on others, but don’t get crapped on by others either. Be nice about it…
• Treat animals well

As a Police Chief, I have learned:

• People lie to you
• Honesty goes a long way
• There are always 2 sides to every story
• Those that can do, those that can’t teach seminars, (not always)
• Lighten up sometimes
• Give breaks when you can, sometimes life just happens
• It may seem unimportant to me, but not to the other person
• People do awful things to people
• Stay aware of your surroundings at all times
• Hands kill
• Treat people as good as they will let you
• Use your brain
• Slow down or too many unnecessary bad things can happen
• Be prepared
• Have a good flashlight
• Keep backups of important things
• Know how to shoot well
• Know first-aid
• Don’t escalate situations, everybody has somebody that can kick their arse
• Protect your eyes
• Encourage folks to do the right thing
• The people you need to worry about aren’t the ones that tell you what they are going to do, but just do it!
• Most little guys make up for their size with skill and speed
• Learn something from everyone you meet, even if it teaches you what not to do!
• Do all things in moderation!
• You have the right to remain silent… use that right!

So, Reality vs Fantasy-land

I believe that reality is based on knowledge, coupled with action that is practiced and planned for ahead of the event or situation. Fantasy-land is having lots of gear, watching YouTube videos, owning 45 guns, but not being able or willing to mow your own yard or walk a few miles.

Trust your own skill-sets, improve on them, learn new ones, adapt, improvise and most importantly overcome!

So let’s not buy front row tickets to the 4 pm show at Fantasy-land, but perhaps we should work with the ones setting up the stage, maybe they are the true people that know how to get it done.

Each day, try to learn something, get the bugs out of a prep or tool or project, and make your preparedness reality, not just something you saw in prepper Fantasy-land. I personally love sitting down with elderly folks to enjoy a cup of coffee and hear about their lives, experiences, skill sets, etc. These folks are a treasure chest!!!