Strategic Living | Self-Reliant & Healthy Living for Modern Times

5 Things To Set Aside and Not Worry About As You Pursue a Strategic Life

By Gaye Levy 12 Comments

I recently watched a YouTube video about things you don’t have to worry about after age 50. The premise was that as you get older, things keep getting better and better. Since watching that video I have thought long and hard about what was said and have come to the conclusion that it was mostly fluff. To universally imply that things get better and better is simply not true. I say this because as we experience life, there will be good days and bad days. Over time, some things get better but some things get worse. That is the reality of our human condition and to try to convince you otherwise will only make you feel bad.

Even though I wanted to call BS on the video, the takeaway was that periodically we all need to identify those things that should be set aside because they drag us down and prevent us from having that better life we strive for. So that is what I did.

Kick Things Up a Notch with an Awesome Healing Skin Salve

By Gaye Levy 16 Comments

For the most part, I have never been one to experiment with something new when there is a tried and true method for doing things. When something works and works well, why mess with it? One simple reason: to make it better.

Such is the case with many of my DIY home remedies and skin care products. A case in point is the all-purpose healing salve I concocted years ago. At the time, there were many existing formulas floating around using lavender, tea tree, and lemon essential oil, but mine was different in that it used the unique blend of rosemary, lavender, and peppermint oils. This became my tried and true healing salve, used for anything and everything skin related.

Fast forward to today and you will find my formula for “Miracle Healing Salve” all over the internet, including on YouTube and in Etsy shops. Many provide attribution to both myself and the Backdoor Survival website where it was first posted. It is thrilling to me to see that this formula has reached the mainstream and has helped so many people resolve common skin care and first aid woes.

That being said, a few months ago I felt it was time to kick things up a notch by increasing the dilution of oils in the original salve recipe from just under 2% to 5%, thus making a stronger product. My goal was to be able to use less salve yet achieve the same beneficial results. I couldn’t be more pleased with the outcome and share with you both the recipe and some common uses for this newly updated formulation.