March 2026

March Thought of the Month

"Tough times don't last, tough people do."

~ Elementary, the TV series

Have you noticed that during a dry spell weeds remain green while the grass goes brown? It has little to do with what we see above ground. These maligned plants have deep tap roots that reach the water grass can't, and what they draw up even benefits the grass closest to them. When human beings face harsh conditions and disasters, we have to find our own ways to tap hidden resources. No need to rack our brains for solutions, we just have to revive the strategies of those who came before us.

Those earlier generations were like the weeds with deep roots. If you had parents and grandparents who lived through the Great Depression, they probably told you stories about how they survived. Families had backyard gardens to supplement groceries (the government actively encouraged them during the World Wars) and maintained well-stocked pantries so there would always be something to eat in the house. They saved jars for food storage and canning. Old clothes were cut up for patching, rags, quilts, and rugs. It became habit, second nature, to build stores to tap in times of need. Nothing went to waste.

Now we are more like the grass, with shallow roots depending on rainfall and vulnerable to droughts. In modern societies, convenience has actually increased waste and eroded the preparedness mindset of previous generations. Today's supermarkets and department stores carry practically everything we can imagine. Whatever we want is now a quick road trip or online order away. Generations of us have lived in a system where long-term planning just isn't part of the picture. Merchandise is no longer stocked locally, it is shipped on a short-term schedule via truck and rail arriving weekly. This delivery system is the equivalent of rain. If the rain ceases to fall (shipping issues, supply chain interruptions, etc.), the system break downs.

When system issues hit, we as individuals have no ability to fix it, but we can prepare for the tough times they trigger. In some ways, we have better access to resources than our grandparents did. These days we can buy seeds, pots, and soil at dollar stores. We can tap the abundant knowledge resources available to us: libraries, the Internet, local community gardens, and more.

And don't forget mental and emotional preparation as well as physical. Go through "what if" scenarios in your head, think about solutions to the envisioned problems, and how to enact them. We must nurture our inner health daily as well. Bad news bombards up all day long. Watch enough to keep informed but also make time for emotional and spiritual refueling. Turn to your faith, revive a hobby, read favorite books, listen to music that lifts your soul. Inner strength is a huge part of tapping the strength we need in hard times.

We are all the descendants of the people who survived hard times in the past. It's time for us to learn and utilize what they knew.

[Thought and image design by Elaine C. Oldham]