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I’m sure by now most readers have had the opportunity to zero their rifle(s). (If you haven’t, please stop reading and do so now) When doing so, one of the first questions one must answer is, ”At what range should I zero?” Typically, we don’t know exactly at what range we will use our rifle, but we decide where to zero it based on two things, 1) What is the range of distances we want to be effective?, and 2) how far can we miss and still be effective? The answers to these two questions allow us to make some decisions about at what range we should zero our rifles. (Hang in there with me while I shift gears…)

Because her college campus (Hillsdale College) is closed presently, my oldest daughter is home and we have had some great discussions., recently. This morning we discussed an essay that she had recently written, where the topic was to compare and contrast how well certain virtues or abilities contribute to success during times of war versus times of peace. Her response essay included how society views preppers during times of normalcy versus times of uncertainty (i.e. coronavirus), and how the actions of preppers might seem strange or paranoid during regular times, but make a lot of sense during the times we are currently living through.

Without going into the weeds of our discussion, our takeaway was that we cannot only focus too far down the road for uncertainties, nor can we focus only on the present. It struck me that living a life of preparedness is not unlike choosing the sighting range for your rifle, we must decide how far down the road do we plan while also being effective in the short range. Regardless of the distance at which you zero, each comes with its own benefits and compromises.

As a husband and father of two sons and two daughters, each day I am faced with being both present in their lives, while leading us all as we prepare for our futures. It is a constant challenge to know how much energy I devote to the present vs. the future (and how far downrange). And arguably more important, how do I presently prepare my children to live in a way that prepares themselves for their own futures as adults, spouses, and parents. It has been a challenge to discern how far down the rabbit hole to take them in imagining what their future might hold. I don’t have the answer and I’m not sure I’ve done a stellar job, but time will tell.

At least as long as I can remember, I’ve been one that tends to focus on the future and at times, at the expense of the present. Being much more relational, my wife is quite the opposite and will often put the present needs of others before her own. I love her for this trait, as it is a gift I lack. Perhaps that may be one or two readers who can relate? For those of us who can see down the road farther, we must not lose sight of those in our midst that there is merit and value in their way also, the joy of living fully in the moment with others, taking the time to stop and enjoy the beauty of the moment and be in relationship. I have missed a lot of those “present” opportunities as I have prepared for their futures.

So, how then shall we live? This time of self-isolation has been one of growth and re-connection, for which I am grateful. It has opened my family’s eyes to what the world can and has become and has provided the context to have healthy discussions that might have been too forced before now. Rather than it being an opportunity to “be right”, it’s better for it to be a time to discuss honestly about the gaps in our preps so we can all work towards filling those gaps, whether it be through simple hard work or seeking alternatives. In a way, the lack of social distractions has allowed us to reconnect in ways that we have been unable to do before. For these things, I am grateful.

As we think about the future of our society and world, I think each of us has an idea of how this thing pans out, but no one knows 100%. I surely don’t, but I for one want to leverage this time, whether it be over in a few months (I very strongly doubt the economy or our constitutional republic will simply bounce back) or we continue the descent. But regardless of how it goes down, we should all take this time to leverage it to the best of our abilities. Here are some of my thoughts on how I (and perhaps you) might grow in this time:

• Recalibrate with your family. If you’re shooting too high, adjust so you can meet them where they are. Encourage them with thought provoking discussions about where things are heading. Listen to their struggles and share yours humbly. I have found that humbly sharing a struggle connects in a way nothing else will.
• Got food storage? We’ve had ours for 10 years and I wasn’t really sure if it was still any good, or if we could even cook a meal with it. Having just cracked into it, it has been fun to explore what life with food storage is like. It has had its challenges, but we’ve seen it as an opportunity to use some of it up while getting a better feel for what that might look like if stores closed. As a side note, I’ve been getting back into sourdough and it has been a great way to get the family on board with food storage, with fresh sourdough waffles or pancakes or muffins every morning.
• Projects. We live on an old dairy that has a never ending list of projects to keep us out of trouble (and during bad weather, in trouble). I’ve taken this time to double down on some long overdue projects, while working along side my son who is learning a whole new set of skills. Some recent projects include: A new batch of chicks (egg layers), preparing for meat hens coming in a few weeks, structural reinforcements on the old barn, cleanup around the property, generator wiring, etc.
• Organizing. I’ve had a bad habit of collecting preps with the thought that I’ll organize it all later. Well, now is that “later”. It does you no good to have something if you can’t actually find it. Have you ever needed to find a tool, and can’t find it because you keep them in five different places? I’ve decided that I’d rather have just one place and have to walk further, than to try to remember all the different places I’ve stashed things so I’d save the walk. I recently built a high hanging rack for yard tools and once I collected all the tools from around the property, I discovered we have enough yard tools for three ranches.
• Honing skills. This is the corollary to organizing. Collecting preps without using them is not a good long term strategy. Maybe there’s some logic in the short run if we can’t get stuff, but now that I have the time, I need to start executing on some of these long range plans. Cooking out of home storage is one of my skills that we are actively working on.
• Stewardship. Whether we think we have it good or we think we have it bad, we are all given something for which we are held accountable. I’ve told my kids countless times (you can ask them), that I’ve said: “It’s not about the hand you’re dealt, its about how you play the hand you’re dealt”. In a poker tournament, everyone is given the same number of chips, and every player gets good hands and bad hands. The player’s success comes not with getting good hands, but how they play both their good hands and their bad hands. We should treat each day as a gift and use it wisely, especially during this time. Don’t waste it.
• Happiness. My grandmother was born in a sod house in Broken Bow, Nebraska and was the eleventh of twelve children. She lived through the Great Depression picking cotton across the south while married to an abusive alcoholic twenty years her senior. Turns out, she was just about the happiest person I have ever known, even though she had more to be unhappy about than most everyone. She would often say, “Happiness is just a decision.” During these times, we can choose to be unhappy or we can choose to be happy. It truly is just a decision.
• Spiritual Growth. Listed last, but first in importance. If you don’t have a daily time in the Bible, then this is the time to start. And if you do, but don’t have regular times of connecting with your family spiritually, today is the day. I have found that my kids are shaken by this crisis and confused about the future of the world they thought they understood. We have had some great times of discussion and realization that we don’t know the future and the things of this world are truly uncertain. But there truly is a peace that comes when we know that there is no hope in this world, but that the only true hope comes from God above and that he is our provider. He gives us a brain and a back and hands to work with, but He is truly our provider.

Wishing you all the best.