Well, I guess it is time I put my two cents in about the gathering. Once again a wonderful time. Old friends and new friends together is always great. But the weekend was even bigger than that. Many on this site are prepping for the future. However, if you plan on dealing with whatever comes as a loner, I think you may find that road to be just that, lonely. I have now been to three gatherings. Before the first, I was not sure what my wife had got us into. But after attending the first I found real value in the site and the people on it. Now after attending three, I see a great value in the weekend. I have now met many people from various backgrounds. And I have seen them do much more than just get along. I have seen three weekends of people come together as as little communities, working and playing together. GP says that he likes to do role playing, going over possible scenarios of what the future could hold so that he is already prepared to react to situations. Each of these weekends are great opportunities for each of us to see if we are cut out for this community environment. And it was amazing to see how in each weekend, the attendees functioned as teams. There were tasks to perform, such as fixing meals, stacking wood, and other things that community members would have to do to survive. It was amazing to see people that had just met, divide into teams to accomplish these within hours after they arrived. Traditions and customs were shared. We literally learned several ways to pluck a chicken. Of course each person that had a way of doing something and a reason that they felt that was a great way of doing the task. However, when you were assigned a task, you were free to do it your way because what was important to the community was not to waste time determining who had the best way, but just get the task done. In an emergency situation, that is what the community needs. So each weekend has been an exercise to show that in a moments notice, these communities of prepared people can get together to survive. I would be happy to have every one that I have met as a part of such a community. Each person has brought unique gifts and talents that are vital to the community. And that is the practical side and so important. But equally important is the ability for the community to bond so that no one feels left out. On each weekend, in three days the group was a family. We cared for each other and were truly sad to have to part. However, the communications on this site between these members since the weekend are now at a much higher level.
We all owe a big thank you to Darlene for allowing us to descend upon her home and make it ours. Some of the tasks that we did were permanent additions to her farm. She is always so grateful to us for the additions, but please realize as I said earlier, when you are assigned a task, for the most part you have the freedom to do it your way. Well, that may not have been exactly the way Darlene had expected it, but she is always so gracious to accept the results of our efforts with such gratitude. Yet it is because of her we have this rare opportunity to role play community. The experiences gained on these weekends may be the things that determine whether we survive or not.
And thanks to all of you that made the trip. You have all enriched my life. If in the future, we have to apply our emergency preparedness plans, and we have to come together to form a community, please know that you are on my list of people with whom I would love to survive.
