The change for Week Two was hydrate and carry water. I was partially successful at this. I did begin carrying water almost any time I was away from home. However, both at home and away, I did not drink as much as I'd planned. This was for one simple reason: pain. I'm dealing with a couple of painful teeth, cause unknown, and sometimes even drinking water hurts. Until I can get back to the dentist, I'm mostly drinking water to wash down ibuprofen.
Thankfully, the change for this week can go forward without involving my teeth.
My change for Week Three is: Walk Every Day.
Our schedule has not been conducive to walking together each day. Sadly, though I often intend to go for a walk by myself sometime during the day, it often doesn't happen as I get otherwise occupied with projects or chores. This is a vacation week for us so we are naturally getting out every day to walk the dogs. It feels good and I want to keep it up after our schedule returns to normal, even though it will mean walking on my own.
What does a daily walk have to do with TEOTWAWKI? Quite a lot, actually. Consider the three categories of potential (albeit very much intertwined) disaster-making on our horizon that I've been discussing: economic challenges, peak oil, and climate change.
As money becomes tight, walking - at least to closer locations - begins to make more sense than driving. A walk costs nothing. Gas, and other vehicle operational expenses, costs money. Driving down to the market a mile away can easily be replaced with walking there to reduce expenses. We did this frequently when we lived in the city and managed to carry even bulky and heavy loads home in a large backpack (purchased very cheaply at a thrift store). It saved considerable wear and tear on our vehicle as well as gas money, important since our vehicle is aging and replacement is not high on the budget's priority list. If the country plunged into another deep recession or depression, replacing an old or broken-down vehicle would not even be on the most distant of horizon for us or many others.
Peak oil, of course, fits right in with the previous paragraph as a potential source of rising driving costs. At a few dollars per gallon of gas, people seem to keep right on driving just as much as usual. When gas prices rose a couple of years ago, drivers did begin to curtail their driving somewhat and we noticed more people walking in our neighborhood. If gas prices rose significantly, say, to $10 per gallon, the choice of whether to walk or drive would go away for many people. If the distance wasn't too far, walking (or biking) would be the logical choice. While suddenly switching to walking, at least for short distances, is not likely to be unduly burdensome for most people, already being used to walking would make the transition easier. It would also open up the option to walk further distances than previously attempted.
Climate change would be less of a factor in this change than some of the others. Although the overall trend is towards warming, which may make some regions more walkable than they were previously (and make others less), the chaotic weather starting to be experienced already presents its own problems. While being able to walk away from a vehicle stuck in a deep snow drift is useful now, perhaps keeping cross country skis packed in the vehicle would be even better! And in some areas, a canoe on the roof rack might just save the day...
For my locale, having water and a flashlight on hand would be good supplies to survive engine trouble during the hot summer months - rest in the shade during the day, drinking water to stay hydrated, and walk in the cooler temperatures at night, using the flashlight to help avoid running into cactus or rattlesnakes. While these are just examples of emergencies, in all cases, being more physically fit could certainly help one escape a dangerous situation.
Even if you think I'm flat-out crazy to be talking about the remote possibility of TEOTWAWKI, few would argue that adopting a daily program of walking now was a bad idea. It is one of the cheapest and easiest means of getting some aerobic exercise, available to people of a range of income and fitness levels. Getting a walk in each day will improve life as we currently know it. (LAWCKI?)
4 comments:
Everyone's definition of TEOTWAWKI is a little different. But the concern that has been there about some kinds of major changes in life--at least in the US--is valid! I see every day that its' just common sense in wondering where all these changes are going to take us. It's probably a valid concern all over the world but I can only speak for the part of the world I know best.
Certainly, everything will be more physically difficult and humans will have to do more things physically instead of using electric/mechanical/fossil fuel energy.
Gotta run, thanks for the postings Chile, peace, Shamba
Well, I can't say that I share your concerns re TEOTWAWKI - not that I think they aren't possibly valid but I am old enough to have seen all these predictions before - but I do agree that walking is a good thing.
Unfortunately, in our part of the world, where winter reigns, the recent series of nor'easters (4 in 4 weeks so far) makes it virtually impossible to practise this. Blizzard conditions advise against it when whiteouts make it dangerous to venture out of sight of one's home. Too many people freeze to death only a few metres from home each winter up here.
I did walk yesterday, for the first time in days, but today was impossible again. Couldn't even see out of my windows.
Ah - the great white north.
I'm not sure what conditions your TEOTWAWKI really looks like, but don't forget biking! Even people who can't walk very well due to injuries and such might be able to use a recumbent bicycle.
I don't own a car, and walking would take me two hours for my seven mile commute to work (it's hilly and I'm slow). Biking makes more sense to me, especially to fight off the winter temperatures (not that you have to worry about that). Walking is always good, too. Anything that gets your blood pumping will prepare you for the worst (and the best!).
Water is something that has been on my mind quite a bit lately here in Albuquerque. We've been planning our rainwater harvesting system and I'm trying to figure out if we should go through the effort (and space, and resources) for a cistern/pump system so we can have potable water or if we should focus all our energy on watering our edible landscape. A conundrum.
Regarding walking/biking for transportation, we do that fairly regularly so I think it won't be such a shock when we can't drive for whatever reason. I'm also trying to hone some cookery skills that use manual labor rather than a machine (mixing, making dough, chopping). I figure having the skills to be able to do things by hand will be of service later on. I love these posts, keep 'em coming!
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