What have you been neglecting?

Here's sort of an accountability thread. So much of our attention is on the gear that sometimes a forum like this feels like a shopping club. Let's talk about stuff like skills, practice, etc. -- things that don't require buying more gear. What have you been neglecting?

Here are some things I've been neglecting:

1. Skills, especially medically related. I took classes like Wilderness First Responder, gunshot wounds, CERT, SARTECH, Red Cross classes for professional rescuers (I'm not a pro rescuer). Because of my career, all of that has become just a distant memory. Now I don't even know what I can do. While my previous location put me within striking range of many such classes, my current location has very little. I'm not sure how to review this stuff and regain my skills. I feel like I could start by going over my old textbooks and notes.

2. Fitness. Again, work pressure. I've started working on it, and I think in a month or two I should be in a much better place. It's a big shock to your body if you're a sedentary office worker and you suddenly have to hike a few miles with a backpack.

3. Maintaining my gear. Recently I had to clean out some corroded batteries and update some expired stuff. (I took this chance to do some hands on testing. It seems many expired things still work perfectly fine.)

When I lived in Dallas, I walked all the time because there's always someplace to go. When I moved to the backroads of northcentral Florida, I stopped walking because every place was too far away to walk.

I did gain weight, but I lost two-thirds of it during the past couple of months, and I'm almost back to normal.

Jeanette Isabelle

Depending upon how old those textbooks are, that might not be a good idea. There have been a TON of changes in medical protocols in the past decade, many diametrically opposite what for decades was "settled" treatment. Just saying...

Is bicycle a realistic option?

A bike is realistic, but how do I carry my EDC bag? And while change can be good, I've been more of a walker than a bike rider.

Jeanette Isabelle

This very week I’ve started working more on physical fitness. This morning I had the gumption to get up early to exercise before going to work. Let’s see if I can do the same tomorrow .

We’ve been on what I like to refer to as a “deferred maintenance” plan for our house. Specifically we’ve known for some time that we needed to replace the roof and do some other work. Good progress has been made on maintenance this summer, with more projects ahead.

I missed my planned “charge all the things” cycle last weekend but have been working on it this week.

How are you guys doing with your fitness plan?

Fitness and gardening.
Both important for SHTF situations, but both are gone with the wind.
Many years ago, I was fit and for some reasons it changed.
I was never a good gardener to begin with but I was trying. That "trying" is also gone.

The usual excuses