Hot AND humid. Like that was gonna change… It was extra hot yesterday though, and so I was moving a bit slowly for anything involving exposure to the flaming fusion fire in the sky.
I did my doctor appointment in the morning and was only a little late. Had a chance to talk with a neighbor about one of the other neighbors- I took the opportunity to get an update on his health and that of his ailing wife. They’d both gone into care and we hadn’t heard much. Unfortunately she died, but he’s doing OK for values of OK. Anyway meatspace put me behind, and google made it worse by not knowing exactly where the office and entrance were. Then I couldn’t find the office in the building. Normally I’d have arrived with plenty of time to get sorted, but meatspace…
Involving ourselves with other people sometimes has costs, large or small, and is sometimes messy. Still needs to happen.
I am more convinced of this than ever. You need to be a part of a group/community/circle of acquaintances. It’s like the root level certificates, someone will need to vouch for you at some point, and you will need to be ABLE to vouch for someone else… people will need to know who you are and think well of you, or at least have no reason to not think well of you. To succeed, the right people need to be in your circle. That has always been true on many levels and there isn’t any reason to think that will change. What makes them think well of you might change.
John the forensic accountant may not be valuable to anyone but John the hobbyist leather worker might. Johnny the hobbyist gunsmith might be of some use, but Joan the goatherd and part time vet tech is certainly going to be. And Juanita the cheesemaker is going to be a hero. Depending on how this whole collapse/reset/global realignment thing goes, of course. Maybe the ‘freedom squads’ will need John the forensic accountant to find the stolen money and the next step in the network of traitors most of all.
In any case, strengthen your ties to people in the real world. Know who is selling what, what they need, and where you might get it for them… Do people favors. Let them do some for you. Build some trust. You don’t need to know their kids’ names, but if they tell you they have kids, it’s helpful to remember that and ask about it once in a while… normal in-person stuff, that I’m sure isn’t that normal for many people here, or even out there in the modern world. Build some connections where we’ve been intentionally isolated and fragmented.
And stack stuff. Having stuff can’t hurt, and might make a real difference in your life, or someone else’s.
nick