From the Archives – Survival Skills Reality Check 

I recently watched the movie The Revenant. It’s an ultra-brutal tale about an American Frontier fur trader who is mercilessly attacked by a bear and left for dead. The bear attack scene is truly one of the most realistic and disturbing pieces of movie magic I’ve ever seen – it is not for the proverbial (or actual) faint of heart.

As I’m watching this movie, sitting in the living room, scarfing down my snack-food-du-jour, observing the harsh realities of life in the Early American Wild West, as, among other things, a man is literally ripped to shreds by a wild bear, I actually begin to think to myself that I could probably survive there just fine. Yes sir. I, like Leo, could withstand a horrific bear attack, brave the savagery of the wilderness, digging deep down for the will to live, and, mark my words, I would find my way to safety and/or victory. Leo and I – we are survivors!

Not long after, I half-stepped on a toy the kids left out, yelped in pain, and briefly – BRIEFLY – worried that I wasn’t going to be able to walk.

And, we’re back to reality.