Survival and Emergency Preparedness

Dead time defined. It is the time when say you drive to an appointment and arrive early. I carry a note pad, pens, a book, reading glasses and a deck of cards in the car. So I have no "dead time". The time is productive time. The pad and pens are used for planning. Sometimes I have study sheets or manuals as well.

Now, I address playing cards.

If you have been in the military, you have had "dead time". In a combat zone, you don't want to smoke and potentially give away your position. A deck of cards is compact and can be entertaining. I would carry a book in a field jacket - but not many people did that.

And a deck of cards is small/light enough to be tossed into the glove compartment, pack, bag without really feeling it as well. Cheap entertainment.

Cards and patience. One important skill to inculcate is that of patience. It is the mark of having great situational awareness and even being a good sniper. If shtf in your life, you may not have cultivated patience and may act too quickly.

Example. 6 sniper school instructors went up against students defending a position. No time limit was set. The 4 young instructors were busted easily because they were in a hurry to do the exercise. The two older instructors had patience and were never detected.

Example. If you don't want to be detected and you are bored, don't smoke that cigarette. Don't just get up and move because you are bored. Silently, sit where you are and quietly play solitaire until the danger is passed.