Two years of God, Gals, Guns, Grub...

After years of surfin' the blogs... with some encouragement from good folks like Brigid and Matt... I uploaded my first post on June 20th, 2011. Nothing too spectacular, I just have a very busy life and wanted something to do that I enjoy and look forward to. Two years... that's like fourteen in dog years... or like seventeen-squared in web years. I haven't commercialized my blog yet as I still do this for me, not for money. While I work with clients on marketing, branding, communication, and things like Search Engine Optimization and Targeted Messaging Cadences... I'm not worried about that here... because I do this for fun.

The blog's name... God, Gals, Guns, Grub... encompasses things that I'm passionate about... and the tag line, "Learning a little more every day" is how I approach life. This life for me has been a long journey and I've learned a lot. I love teaching and training both as a student and as an educator and trainer. Most of what I do today is far different then how I did things ten, twenty, and even thirty years ago.

One thing I love about folks in the guns and prepping blogoshpere is that most of them are pretty good folks, regardless of their specific politics, preferences, or brand of gun they carry. I've personally met and have also become very good friends with some I haven't met... many of whom are listed in the links down the right side there.

I'm still learning a little more every day and here are some tidbits of wisdom I've picked up over the years...

Dogs are God's example to us of what true friendship, loyalty, and love is... they don't care about what you look like, your politics, your religion, or your gun brand.

Life is about endurance, not sprints. I've seen to many folks, including myself over the years fizzle out in sprints... have a five year plan, not a five minute plan... if you want to start exercising... good, just don't think you're going to succeed going from nothing to three hours a day... in two weeks you'll be back on the couch. I'm amazed at how many bloggers have come and gone in just the last two years... ten posts a week, then three posts a week, then one post every couple of weeks, then... well... nothing. Moderation and goal will get you where you want to be for most folks.

Science, logic, real data, and reality trump feelings and opinions. One-shot stops are very rare... I probably can not hit ten for ten in a stressful, heart-rate rushing, real life-or-death situation... and you probably can't either. I love my .45ACP 1911s... but I carry a 9mm because I want eighteen to twenty shots before my first reload and there is little statistical difference in stopping rates recorded in real shootings between the 9mm, .40S&W, and .45ACP calibers.

Green or red tractors, Ford or Dodge trucks, Harley or Honda motorcycles, Glock or Smith and Wesson pistols... I don't really care, I love them all... especially if their Ruger. Use what works and runs reliably for you... but realize that if youu're carrying a gun you've only put seventy rounds through, how do you know it runs reliably with the hollow-points you just stuck in it?

I do a lot of consulting in sales, marketing, visual merchandising, branding, and organizational communication on the side of my day job... a good sales person will diagnose your needs, educate you, and let you decide. Last year, I watched a gun counter sales-jerk tell a customer how crappy Taurus guns were to the point I couldn't help myself... I asked him, "Pardon me, but are you stupid?" He was dumb-founded and asked what I meant. I told him, "I just listened to you tell this guy how crappy Taurus handguns are for the last five minutes and you must be stupid because you have a whole shelf of a dozen "crappy" handguns you need to sell." Educate your customer and let them decide. And folks, educate yourselves and make your own decisions.

Learn a little more every day. I love teaching and training folks in my day job, in my side job, and in my volunteer work. I also try to also keep up on learning myself... but learning requires retention, relevance, and application. If you've taken three training classes this year, but have only been to the range to practice a handful of times I'd say you're out of balance. Like-wise, if you practice regularly and haven't had training in the last three-years... you're out of balance. Even James Lebron, Tiger Woods, Julie Golob, and Dave Sevigny get training and coaching, you should too.

If you haven't started prepping... do you need a few more tornadoes, hurricanes, or ammo shortages to convince you? Again, moderation and long-term planning and goals. Store up food for your family for three-days... then two weeks... then three months... then three years. Three is my favorite number. One is none, two is one, and three is a spare. If you have one handgun for carry or self-defense, get a second. When ammo prices come down some... and they will... start picking up some... one box a week at the local Wally World will add up quickly over time.

If you aren't mechanically inclined... get over it and become so. When things hit the fan, the auto mechanic will last far longer than the Einsteins of this world. Guys, quit draggin' your knuckles... Your gals and kids can learn and clean their own guns. Parents, take a Saturday morning and teach your kids to pt the spare tire on the car, check the oil, check the air pressure. Take two flashlights and let your kid help you check the circuit-breaker panel when one kicks off or you need to work in the crawl space.

I'm as proud of my daughter for being valedictorian as I am that she can change the oil and adjust the chain on her motorcycle, shoot a pistol, fletch an arrow, sew, cook, and run table-saw.

For the most part, you get what you pay for.  I don't buy sunglasses, I buy safety glasses.  I don't by expensive glasses because I've never had a hundred-dollar pair of sunglasses last very long... it's Murphy's law.  Folks will ask me about cheap guns or what can I get for two or three-hundred bucks... to which I reply, "Not much worth havin' to bet your life on."  On the other hand, I think Sigs are terrific guns, but I'd rather have two M&P 9's than one Sig 229... and that's not too far off the reality of those pistols' prices.

Finally, one other thing that I've learned in my life is to give back.  You don't need to give any more than your time and care, but give back to others in some way. Take a friend shooting, volunteer, share your skills, and knowledge. Don't get me wrong, I love my blogosphere friends, but we are also invested in our community. If you don't have a "community" in your city or suburb, find one. We live in a rural area... our neighbors and friends are our community. We give and they give back.  We help each other, and come together in times of need. No man, or woman, is and island and it helps to have good friends and neighbors... which takes some giving and time on your part, but we've found it to be worth the investment.

The gals and I have sure enjoyed getting to know you folks out here in the blogosphere, and if you're ever in Southwest Ohio... drop us a line... maybe we could grab a beverage or put some lead down range... and I hope you've enjoyed...

Learning a little more every day... with... Two years of God, Gals, Guns, Grub...