Three Survival Skills

My daughter and I have begged my husband to put everything he knows about day-to-day survival in a book. We know that even that probably won’t save us because although the knowledge will be useful, we don’t think we have the two other skills to put that knowledge to good use. Let me explain.

My husband is one of those rare individuals who knows a little about everything. He loves to know how things work whether it is a mechanical device or someone’s reasoning. Beyond that skill, he has keen observational skills. He sees things that others don’t. We were walking through the basement when he looked up and said, “Oh, no.” When I asked what was the matter he told me the copper pipe was leaking, so he would have to replace it and Sodder it together. First, I had never even noticed we had copper pipes in the basement, and my next reaction was, “You know how to Sodder?”

He does things like this all the time. He was walking by the refrigerator when he said, “Oh, the filter needs to be replaced.” Did you know there is a filter under the refrigerator that needs to be replaced every six months? I had no idea. You can see by now that my daughter and I are praying that we never have to face life without this man.

The third survival skill he has is the ability to problem-solve. He loves it when he has to solve a mechanical puzzle. He will stand there and say, “What is making it do that?” I love watching him try to work it out and he always does. A neighbor called me in from my run because she heard a bang in the basement, and she wanted my help to find out what caused it. I told her I would go find John, he would go downstairs, and discover the cause in seconds. He did. He isn’t afraid of trying new things. He calls it Polish engineering, but it gets the job done.

The secret is out in our neighborhood that my husband can help you with life’s little problems, so we receive phone calls for all sorts of things. I am very grateful that at least one person in my family has survival skills.