My guilty pleasure is watching Shawn Kelly every Sunday on YouTube. His channel, Corporals Corner, has inspired me in problem solving and critical thinking. It’s also inspired me to work on survival skills as well.
Yet, from a wheelchair stand point, survival skills may not be what a body thinks they are. I’ve had to adapt my thinking. This brought me to this morning’s video.
Shawn had an oldschool camp set up today, and as always I chipped in a tiny donation and made a comment. I Thanked Shawn Kelly for inspiring me, and mentioned an upcoming camping trip that I will be making in less than 2 weeks.
Shawn’s videos, in changing my thinking, have opened my mind. My wheelchair is a very necessary part of daily life. I ‘don’t leave home without it’. It’s truly the most essential part of my EDC. It makes life more freeing, and I am able to do things that I can not do without it.
Think of your standard EDC. For a non-prepper, it’s probably your phone, keys and wallet. A person who wears makeup might include a compact and lipstick. A nerd might include an external phone battery, and a charging cable.
My EDC:
- Wheelchair
- Phone
- Spare Battery & cable
- keys
- wallet
- If I am going to a meeting, then a small yarn bag or project bag, my tablet, and a small notebook and pencil or pen.
That’s about it. I also have auxilliary items:
- Cutting tool
- Multitool
- Can opener (It stays in the car at all times)
- Jacket
- Personal Cares Bag (Stays in the car at all times)
- Medical Bag with insulin (lunchbox style cooler)
- Laptop
- Larger project bag etc….
- Reacher Grabber tool (stays in the car for shopping)
- Cane (There are times and places that a wheelchair can not be used. (Handicap accessible bathrooms are a joke and a half.)
Those items may come with me or they may not, depending on the trip.
This reminds me of a George Carlin bit, about things you carry with you. I won’t quite relay it, but you get my drift.
My wheelchair allows me to not just travel, but carry that which I need without going ape. Almost everything I need fits in a back pack.
The upcoming camping trip, I will be adding a folding cot, built on the premise of many camping chairs. I’ll also have a small tent, cordage, cooking things, and most important…. My dog Duke. He will be assisting me and most importantly helping me to stay warm. This paragraph doesn’t include everything I will be taking along, but is a small example.
He is my support animal, and without him, I doubt I could even try this adventure.
A special Thank You to Corporal Kelly for his inspiration and videos. Another special Thank You to my sinister seester unit, who helps me more than she knows.
Check out Corporal Kelly’s Video here. October 3rd 2021 Corporal’s Corner Video
AnonymousKnitter 