Excuse du Jour: “I don’t want to be paranoid.”

I’m paranoid about losing one of my kids.  I’m paranoid about the cat sneaking out of the doggie door one of these days, and I’ll admit it.  I’m completely paranoid about running out of toilet paper!  When I buy extra groceries or stock up on basic household supplies, though, it’s not paranoia.

If you’ve been worried that you’ll be labeled a “survivalist” just because you’re taking common sense precautions, you’re not paranoid.  You’re savvy.

Think of it this way.  For thousands of years our ancestors lived in a constant state of preparedness.  It was a way of life to plant an extra acre of corn or to can fifty jars of peaches, just in case.  Our culture is so far removed from the era of self-sufficiency, that any effort now to think in those terms is sometimes mocked.

Now, granted, my fifteen bottles of Tide detergent and 29 cans of refried beans don’t exactly scream “SELF-SUFFICIENT!”, but in a worst case scenario, they would buy me time until I could learn to make my own laundry detergent and refried beans.

Don’t be afraid that wanting to insure your family’s well-being is paranoid.  Survival is a mom’s job.  If not us, then who?

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