Safety first!

 A few days ago, a family came to the farm to pick strawberries. It was a mother, 3 daughters (roughly my age bracket), and grandchildren. They all had a great time picking together in the fields.

 I was at the market building at lunch when they walked out, and the mother said that she was cut on a piece of wire or something in the field. She had a cut maybe 2 1/2" long on the outside of her right ankle. It wasn't a deep gash, but enough to bleed more than just a scratch. The market isn't finished yet, and there are very few supplies of any kind inside, so there was no first aid kit available. I walked to the car and grabbed the large kit that is in there year round, and was able to clean, prep, and bandage her ankle.

 The women were all very thankful, but somehow surprised that I carried a first aid kit in my car. They found it rather odd. They all thanked me, and the employees at work told me that I was hero of the day. I got a good laugh about that, but it also reminded me how ill prepared most people really are.

 Maybe it's because I have more of a prepper mindset, but carrying a first aid kit just makes sense to me. It's practical. Mine not only carries bandages and such for cuts and other accidents, but I also carry cough & cold meds, ibuprofen, aspirin, sting-kill, antibacterial soap & lotion, sunscreen, and anything else that would be useable as a totally portable medicine cabinet. While I can't say we use the kit "all the time", we are in it quite often. Lisa fell while we were fishing a few days ago, and we were able to get her cleaned and bandaged up. Because we were sitting at the lake in direct sun, we used the sunscreen from the kit. It's been a very wise thing to have.

 Not only do I have the one in the car year round, but I also carry a smaller version in my lunch box, and a small tin of bandaids in my pocket at all times. That little one has come in handy out in the fields many times already. A few times for us guys out there getting misc cuts, and once for a customer whose toddler fell and scraped his knee on a rock in the back strawberry fields. Again, they've been as practical as the large car kit.

 Everyone should have a first aid kit in their car. Everyone. Think about it, make your own and put it in the car. Even a small one in the glove compartment could save the day and make you a hero too!