Is Prepping Just for the Reality-Challenged? Some Thoughts from a Prepper's Wife

So, who exactly are these folks we call "preppers"? I used to envision them as fearful, socially abrasive gun-huggers who struggled with pasty complexions, or "bunker skin", if you will. They were all named Billy Bob. Even the women. And they just needed more love in their lives. And more Vitamin D (because the bunker life is harsh!). And someone to pat their knees and assure them that the bright light breaking over the horizon was just the sun rising with a new day, not the A-Bomb they've expected since they helped grandpa build the Cold War bunker. And then proceeded to live in it ever since.

So it's safe to say, preppers be crazy. Or, at least, such has been my enduring impression of them. Oh, come on, I'm not alone! Some of you have thought likewise. Who could blame us? The media does nothing to present a balanced portrayal of, well, anything, much less the prepper sub-culture. And besides, I'm a proud liberal, so why would I entertain a high regard for a lifestyle bound up in ultra conservative stereotypes? I'm a proud...open-minded...liberal. Anyway, my eyes were recently opened. And I realized that preppers aren't all named Billy Bob. And they're not all politically conservative. In fact, they don't fit into just one of any particular groups or ideologies. They're actually just, well, people. And a great many of them actually care about other people, which is why they prep in the first place.

I blame this recent revelation on my wife, who dragged me to a prepping expo several Saturdays back. Can't work the italics enough when I say, I did not wanna go. I was afraid the prepper wackos would sniff out my politics and my general revulsion of everything they loved. I was afraid they would try to dress me in their little tin hats (I was sure they wore them!) and force me to make drinking water from my own urine. Worse than that, I was terrified they would try to convert me! But they didn't do any of that. They actually shared some of their knowledge. And some of their skills. And some of their personal journeys. And they were pretty normal...pretty sane. In fact, many wanted to learn new skills and have an abundance of useful items on hand so that they could help others during critical or emergency times. And that's not just sane, it's noble and loving and beautiful. It's kind of...liberal.

And so, I came to realize the goodness and intelligence of this practice called prepping. And I'm not ashamed to admit that I'd check out another prepping expo on any given Saturday, with a totally open mind to the attending preppers' methods. And their madness.
-Stella

https://www.minds.com/LeftOfCenterPrepping