“It isn’t always being fast or even accurate that counts. It’s being willing. I found out early that most men, regardless of cause or need, aren’t willing. They blink an eye or draw a breath before they pull the trigger. I won’t.”
John Bernard “J.B.” Books (The Shootist, 1976)
Deb exhaled, audibly.
“Good reflexes,” she said.
I’d just slammed on the brakes to avoid T-boning an SUV that pulled out in front of me on the east side of Mountain Home, around 6:30pm yesterday. The young driver didn’t slow down as he rolled onto US 62B, nor did he look my way.
“Thanks,” I replied to Deb. I didn’t bother telling her that my “reflexes” had nothing (or very little) to do with it.
See, my foot was already off the gas and covering the brake when the kid made his move. It’s a survival skill honed over a half-million miles riding motorcycles, and it’s no less valuable behind the wheel of my pickup.
In short, I’m constantly looking for potential hazards. When I spot one, I expect the worst and prepare to act accordingly.
If I’m wrong — and usually I am — it costs me nothing. But if I’m right, like I was this time, it could save my life.
So when I reacted to that reckless driver yesterday, it didn’t require quick reflexes. I was already there.
My point in telling this story is to draw a parallel between “defensive driving” — which we were taught as teenagers, whether we still do it or not — and the PERSEC practice of “situational awareness.”
The mindset is the same.
In operating a motor vehicle, the acronym is SIPDE — scan, identify, predict, decide, execute. Personal-security training emphasizes OODA — observe, orient, decide, act. Both are loops, meaning that the final, unspoken step in each progression is “repeat.”
It’s such a sensible approach to one’s surroundings, isn’t it? Being ready, I mean — just in case.
Why, then, don’t more of us do it? We’re “blind-sided” all the time by the predictable, the obvious. Is it laziness? Lack of discipline?
Yes to both of those. But something much more fundamental undermines our survival instincts.
Optimism.
Just as compassion makes us stupid, optimism disguises human behavior as something it isn’t. We’re hamstrung by our childish desire to expect the best from people, and that naiveté can get in the way of our surviving the encounter.
If you’re thinking that sounds a lot like “denial,” you’re pickin’ up what I’m puttin’ down.
Even constant vigilance can’t predict every bad outcome. I’m simply saying that informed pessimism is healthy — perhaps the most underrated aspect of a survival mindset.
Our reward for surviving this particular encounter was a beautiful Ozarkansas sunset.
The photos are Deb’s.
As I look through those images I smile, knowing we didn’t go out of our way to find sweeping curves and rolling, wide-open countryside. That scenic traverse was the direct route Home.
Man does not live by wood heat alone — or he shouldn’t, anyway. We know that there will be many spring and fall days that begin chilly but become balmy by noon. On those mornings, it’d be great to have a way to take the edge off ’til the cabin warms up with the weather, without starting an actual fire.
You can’t just turn off a woodstove.
We decided to go with the 18,000 BTU “Big Buddy” portable propane heater by Mr. Heater. While at Lowe’s last weekend, we found a model called the “Tough Buddy,” which appeared to be a Big Buddy with the addition of a battery-powered fan, and that’s what we brought Home.
On opening the box, we saw that the heater itself is labeled “BIG Buddy.” The Tough Buddy model (a designation appearing only on packaging) is exclusive to Lowe’s.
Also — and this is according to the manufacturer — the Big Buddy model used to be equipped with a fan, but import tariffs made the feature cost-prohibitive and it was deleted. A new offshore source was enlisted recently, and the fan is being included again, beginning with the Lowe’s exclusive.
I’ll just call ours a Big Buddy, if you don’t mind.
This morning I installed four D-cell batteries and two standard one-pound propane cylinders, and I took it for a brief test drive. It proved easy to light and control.
I think it’ll be just the ticket.
Eventually, for economy’s sake, we’ll run our Big Buddy off of a 20-pound LP tank rather than the small cylinders. The unregulated hose we use with our Coleman stove should work to connect the two.
I believe we’ll get a lot of use out of this heater — in the cabin, certainly, but also for warmth when I’m working in the shed on cold days.
The Lowe’s price for the 18,000 BTU Mr. Heater Tough (Big) Buddy, with fan, currently is $139. Batteries and propane canisters not included.
Take care of yourselves, Patriots. Stay calm. Stay sharp. Stay free.
#WiseUp #LibertyOrDeath #Ungovernable
#LetsGoBrandon #FJB