Situational awareness is way up there for me, but I rarely see it talked about much outside first responder circles. Being able to quickly size up a room or an outdoor area, notice exits, subtle changes in noise or weather, or even just picking up on people acting “off”—it’s saved me from a mess of trouble more than once. Years ago, I caught the early signs of a propane leak on a camping trip just by noticing the odd hiss and faint smell before it became dangerous. Folks usually focus on what gear to pack, but if you’re not really paying attention to your surroundings, you can miss the little warnings nature (or people) give you.
Love hearing about the improvising and plant skills too—never carved a spoon from a branch until I had to once, and now the grandkids think it’s magic! Anyone else have those moments where your “old instincts” kicked in before you realized what was happening?
