Survival Skills

I read an article that was titled,"22 survival skills grandparents knew that could save your life". The one thing I have always appreciated about elderly people is their wisdom. Many have experienced a hard life, survived tragedies, accepted their life as it was with little complaint. After reading this article it may have been because of the survival skills they didn't even know they had. I found the list interesting, and I picked 10 that spoke to me.   

1. Save early and save often. It is no secret that I am not a money person. I do remember growing up and hearing my parents talk about the importance of having a savings account. For my entire childhood, my parents put away the "Baby Bonus" as it was called. My recollection is that mom would receive a cheque every month from the government that was $8.00 each for Kay and me. Mom and Dad had decided it was to go towards our education, that they would never spend it. I am sure there were times they could have used the $16.00, but they kept to the plan. By 1974 it had accumulated to $1500, which paid for an entire year of living and school expenses for me. 

I feel that young people do focus on saving. They start a new job with benefits and a pension plan. It was not until 1987, long after I had started my career that I had the opportunity for either of those plans. The trouble throughout generations, is having money left over by the end of the month to put into savings. The new wave concept that I find interesting is to pay your savings first. This is usually obtained by having money taken directly off their pay cheque before it is issued.    

2. Live below your means. It is simple, "don't spend more than you make". At one time there were no bank cards: no debit, no credit card, just cold hard cash. Imagine handing over cash for everything. I live in an area where there are several big family homes. There are lots of toys in the driveways depending on the season. No one parks in their garage because it is full of "things". I do wonder how they afford all of that while raising a family. It is a sign of changing times.   

3. Don't be afraid to fail. Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could be successful in everything we attempt. The reality is that we learn our biggest lessons from failing. To try and fail, is better than not following your dream in fear of failure. I do find that I accept failure easier now, it seems part of my life. We all know those people that struggle making a decision. For them making the wrong decision could result in failure. A wrong decision is just that, it didn't work out. I believe that everyone can come back from failure, it will take some work, but you will be stronger in the end.  

4. Sewing and repair skills. My generation watched their parents provide for their family off the land. Meals were meat, potatoes and vegetables all home grown. Everyone made their own bread and desserts. Preservatives lined the basement walls all made from the massive gardens. They would feed the family until the garden was ready the next year. Women could sew and repair clothes, knit and crochet. I did all of that once upon a time. I was interested in it, so it came easy to me. I continue to feel confident repairing small things. I appreciate the opportunity to google search how to do nearly anything. I would fall into the novice level, but I can use a drill and screwdriver.   

5. Embrace change. I learned a very long time ago when I moved to Brandon that I had to make some new traditions. To give up on the way it used to be, you have to decide on what you are moving towards. New traditions are also common in families that have experienced a death or are dealing with sickness. Personally, I feel that developing new traditions and change is easier than trying to put the old way into a new way of living. 

6. Travel while you can. I was 38 years old when I got on an airplane for the first time. It was a family trip and a bit of a disaster with a three-day delay. From that point forward I have traveled, and I am comfortable with the process. It seems since Covid that air travel is more difficult. It is more common that flights may be cancelled or changed. There are so many children on flights now, starting young will make for great travelers in the future. When they say travel while you can, do it.  

7. Don't sweat the small stuff. The rest of the saying is, "because in the end it is all small stuff". The people that sweat the best over small stuff are the people that like to worry. People that worry about everything can't help it. I am not good at worrying. When we get older so many big things have happened in our lives that the small stuff just doesn't have an impact.  

8. Learn a new skill every year. I love this one. I believe I am at the point in my life where I share my skills more than I learn something new. I recently had a group of women in to learn to make sushi. What a fun time we had. I have a couple of young women eager to learn from my mom how to make butter tarts from scratch. There is such a sense of accomplishment when you learn something new. I enjoy my sense of accomplishment when I am part of helping someone else learn something new. 

9. Laugh often. It feels so good to have a laugh fest with someone. We have all experienced times where we were with someone that made us laugh until it hurt. Laughter releases endorphins which make us feel good long after the laughter ends. I think we naturally gravitate towards people that make us feel happy. Being happy is a choice, one that we need to make every day. 

10. Never give up. We don't always get what we want in life, but it doesn't mean we give up on it. I have always believed that all things happen for a reason. I have learned that you will get what you want, if you are meant to get it. I don't believe in giving up, having hope is something that is important to have in our lives. 

I am sure you are thinking of your grandparents and what they taught you. If you are grandparent age, I know you can identify with so many things that I have shared with you. If you aren't a grandparent, look at what you have just learned. The older you get the more you take for granted how you lived your life. Think of it like this, we survived because of skills we never knew we were using!