jmfargo | Dec. 21st, 2005

In the morning I lurch out of bed, not truly comprehending where the rest of my body is going as my brain cries out "Five more minutes! Come on, just five more!" If my body didn't have the catalyst of my girlfriend telling me that it's, once again, my turn to let out the dogs it would most likely remain in the unchanged state of laying in the relaxation and oblivion that is sleep. Even as my body slowly opens the back door for the dogs to go outside my mind continues on in its dream-like stupor. This time of day is when I'm most zombie-like, with my body on automatic control, and my mind not really having anything to do with my body.

This is also the time of day when the zombies are most likely to take me.

Eternal vigilance is the key to not being one of the early zombies, I've mentioned that before. Unfortunately eternal vigilance wears a little on the soul and mind after a while, and you start to have times when you're just thinking "I have to get (mundane task x) done," with no thought towards your safety against what could be coming. This is why most people will be taken down early on, and why an outbreak of the virus that causes zombies (or a biblical plague of the dead coming back to life, whichever you think is more likely) is so deadly. Unpreparedness kills, and then reanimates.

Even in my stupor of morning sleepiness, I'm wary. Not as much as normal, but my years of paranoia have paid off well. Before opening the door to let the dogs out, my eyes trace a quick line against the back yard and fence, checking to see if there are any random people back there, or unusual breaks in the fence line that could let someone in. This has the added benefit, of course, of allowing me to make sure my dogs are going to be safe. If I go out to get the mail, which I usually do by going through the garage, I stand by the inner door until the garage door lifts itself to a height where I can look out to see if there are any possible assailants, zombies, aliens, whatever.

Routine is the best defense against sloppiness. Routine is important and allows you to remain defensive when your mind and body aren't really communicating that well. Of course it would be best if you were at a constant state of readyness, but that is honestly unrealistic, so we practice being on guard so that it comes natural in the way that martial artists study moves until it is stored in their muscle memory.

Of course, coffee in the morning doesn't hurt either.