Preparing yourself for the next disaster gives you a certain mindset. You’re always trying to absorb as much information as possible from all of life’s experiences. And they all don’t have to be gloom and doom.
Take tailgating at a New England Patriots game for example. The parking lot before a game can be surprisingly educational from a disaster prep standpoint.
Any successful tailgating involves prep days before the actual game. Saturday afternoon, for example, I was at Staples picking up a storage bin for cups, paper towels, and other stuff I didn’t want to slide around in the back of the Suburban. Note to self, this is the second time I’ve used Staples to find storage containers over the last month.
As I told you last week, I ordered my water storage barrels from Walmart. I went to the actual store on Saturday to find some chairs and sure enough they were priced lower than I could have imagined. Two sturdy chairs, that are great for camping, for less than ten bucks each.
Part of the danger of going into Walmart is I end up perusing the camping section and end up buying stuff I didn’t go there to buy. It’s like grocery shopping when you’re hungry. An hour or so later, I now know a lot about the cool propane lanterns and stoves available at Walmart. Not to mention tons of water for sale that could meet your short-term needs.
Not that tailgating is a survival situation at Gillette. It’s far from it on game day.
On Sunday, I found myself scanning the parking lot in awe. Who knew living off the grid could be so good? In a matter of minutes, empty parking spaces turned into a city of tents where family and friends gathered around—each member contributing to the pre-game experience. And it’s an experience.
Eating involves not just hot dogs and hamburgers. It’s baked stuffed shrimp, stuffed quahogs, lobsters, steamers, filet mignon, to name just a few entrees being served—imagine the best foods of New England and you get the picture. And what’s obvious is that this tailgating thing is a science.
Everyone has a formula that makes it work. Where to meet and where to park, what time to break down the gear to head into the game to make a speedy exit afterwards; or not, as some like to have another meal until the lot clears out a bit.
If you have a chance to catch a game near you, do it. Tailgating puts you into a mindset of how to make living off the grid a lot more fun, and you get to see a live game. So what if you have to find places to store stuff you never intended on owning.
Originally posted at Yoursurvivalguy.com.
