I get into trouble when I ignore that little sick feeling in my stomach that tells me I'm in trouble.

Like a recent backpack trip when I didn't listen to my 43 year old body telling my brain we weren't 18 anymore and needed to give up on trying to reach the designated campsite and pitch camp where I was.

Like I taught my daughter when she was little: "if it feels icky, it IS icky".

I think most of us know when we're in trouble/in over our heads, we just tend to argue/rationalize ourselves out of it.

In addition to being kind to ourselves and allowing ourselves to "be flawed" (getting lost, running out of gas, getting snowbound, or run of the road), I think it would benefit us to be flexible in how we view our capabilities in light of the circumstances.

A little humility can save your life.

How I'm going to be able to handle a situation is going to vary depending on 1) how I am physically, 2) how I am mentally, 3) general conditions around me.

Being sick or having just donated a double-red (2 units of blood) will change an inconvenience for me into a crisis/survival situation because of my body's ability to cope.