For a number of years I was living in Lisbon, Portugal and I was feeling removed from being in America. I had been hearing about ‘The Walking Dead’ (and Game of Thrones) and seeing posts and comments by family (ok, one brother) and friends. I was a few years late to the show but found that the program aired weekly on my cable network in Portugal. Plus, TV is not dubbed in Portugal and subtitles are a good way to enhance language learning. So, I started watching ‘The Walking Dead’ and getting caught up. Strangely it made me feel a bit more plugged into my culture even in the midst of a zombie apocalypse. Go figure!
Well it’s a number of years later and to be honest, I don’t even know what season the show is in as I moved back to the states and eventually lost interest. I live in LA, so that is right up there with living in a real zombie apocalypse.
Like the rest of the planet, I am glued to the news to keep informed as to what is happening with the coronavirus. As we’re watching COVID-19 move around the globe and take its toll on lives, the health of way too many, the financial market, major annual events, many ongoing activities and overall, life as we knew it, I find myself thinking about survival and the safety of those I love.
The virus also makes me think about what I learned from watching ‘The Walking Dead’ and how if I was in the show, I’d work hard to survive.
- Determine a safe place, clean it up and get prepared. Careful who you let into your compound because it’s just a matter of time before somebody leaves a back door open even if it’s a jail.
- Hording will get you in trouble. When you have too much of something, people find out and eventually take some or all of it. And I never saw a Walking Dead episode where anyone was concerned about toilet paper.
- Shop in the off hours. The idea is sneak in and sneak out. Fast. Have your list ready and don’t tip over the shelves with all the booze on it. That’s very dangerous.
- When you’re out, don’t go down the center of all the activity. Find a way to avoid people and take the back or side road.
- Figure out how to do things yourself. We won’t have time to plant a garden or build big stuff, but we can make more of our own food (and clean out the pantry) and bake stuff vs. running out for a pastry and coffee.
- Rely on people you trust. If they show good judgement, you’re likely in good hands.
- Ask yourself often, ‘is it worth it?’. Do you want a zombie to eat your face for something silly? I just put my gym membership on hold as I’ve been going a lot but it’s like a nightclub in the place. And sweaty.
- We never know when the apocalypse will be over, so plan it being longer than expected. Just checked and the show is going into the 12th season.
- And most importantly, if you are sick or think you are sick, avoid others. Do the right thing.
So, stay safe, take all the necessary precautions and I guess now people will get caught up on a lot of their shows as there are hundreds of original programs to watch today. I was curious what was going on with ‘The Walking Dead’ while writing this blog and bumped into this veryyyyyyy timely article. We can all keep ourselves safer with smart use of technology! ‘Walking Dead’ Writers Were Already Prepared for Global Pandemic
Lastly, COVID-19 information from the CDC
Sandra
