The Hopeful & The Hopeless: My Interpretation of The Walking Dead

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I'm not going to lie: I really like The Walking Dead. 

Last year, during a week off from school due to ice and snow storms, my mom and I made homemade soy lattes and enjoyed The Walking Dead, season 1. For years, my friends and well, Society has told me that this show is worth the watch. I had never been into zombies before, whether it be in the form of a book or on the big screen. (There is one exception to this statement: I have a love of the movie Warm Bodies, but it is basically a glorified Romeo and Juliet). I go on and on about how amazing 30 Rock is, and how it's a show that makes me laugh in such a way that I would designate it as a "howl." Yes, this is true and will forever be true (Tina Fey, you little genius), but for those days when I need a break from slapstick comedy, I can watch TWD. The show does an amazing job explaining each character's story and what they were like before everything went down. Somehow, by the time the credits roll - and this happens after almost every episode - I am left open-mouthed and dumbstruck.

At first, it took me awhile to get used to the raspy growls of the zombies and the constant violence, but the suspenseful plot twists and great acting were what kept me watching every week. Now I have almost 6 seasons under my belt.

My Interpretation:

In the show, there are two types of people: the "walkers," as the zombies are most often called, and the humans. If a walker bites a human and the human dies, the human eventually turns into a zombie. But, spoiler alert: the main character, Rick, is told that the entire population is already infected with a disease of some sort that will turn them into zombies after they die. So, getting bit by a walker just speeds up the process of turning into a zombie.

After watching the first couple of episodes, I began to notice something beyond the constant battle between zombies and humans: two subtypes of humans. Those two subtypes that the humans fall under are the hopeful and the hopeless. It's not something that is stamped on their foreheads, but as a viewer, you are able to decipher who spends most of their time living in which category. Whether it's mentioned in the dialogue or not, each character in the story either acts out of their hopelessness or their hopefulness in the time of crisis (usually when a zombie pops out from behind a tree, ready to eat them). 

Some of the men and women that appeared at first to be the strongest and most dependable leaders in their groups, fell prey to hopelessness of their current situation. Well, who would blame them? Their entire world had crumbled, some family members were lost or dead by the hand of zombies, and everything seemed to be crashing down all at once. However, their poor attitudes didn't just inhibit their happiness; oftentimes, it hindered their ability to fend for themselves and others. On the other hand, some men and women that didn't appear to be the strongest in their groups turned out to be the most helpful ones out of the bunch. They understood that living among zombies was their new normal, and they made the decision to make the most of it and act accordingly. 

When I watched those first couple of seasons where I saw the topic of "hope" more prominently, I also realized that the categories of the hopeful and the hopeless appear in our lives now. Everyday, there are people who have some pretty crappy circumstances or things that they have faced in the past. However, it's how they handle those situations that makes all the difference. If you're constantly re-thinking things that happened in the past, bringing up old emotions that should have already been dealt with, or are going through a tough time, positivity is key. Hope is key. In TWD, it was those who stayed positive that stayed alive, and lived a more fulfilling life. When people (nowadays as well as TWD crew) are constantly focusing on the sad/troubling/awful parts of their life or the things that they are dealing with currently, it influences their own emotional and/or physical health. It can also hurt those around them.

Despite all the crap I've been through, the things that I'm still dealing with, and the problems that I have yet to face, I know that God is the source of my hope. I have been known to live in the "hopeless" category for extremely long periods of time, but I now realize how powerful hope can be within dire times of my life. I utterly grateful for the hope that God provides. Without it, I don't know where I would be right now. I also have to keep reminding myself that God knows what He's doing, and knows what my life will look like in 10, 20, 30 years. I don't.

Okay, okay. I understand that not everyone had this "revelation" while watching TWD, but I did. It caused me to look back on my life, and see how being hopeful has changed my life for the better.

The girl that wishes Daryl and Rick will stay alive forever and ever,

Reagan Fleming

It's More Than Just Good Manners

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I have learned that being thankful can make a world of difference in how I live my life.

I heard from one of my mom's friends that she had recently put into practice what Joel Osteen wrote about in one of his many books. That was, to be thankful to God in every season of life, of every part of the day. After I heard her talk about what she had learned, I unconsciously decided to put this into practice as well. I began to thank God for the most random things. I don't remember what exactly, but it probably started out like, "God, thank You for providing money for this gluten free bagel. It's delicious." (The members of my family are health nuts btw). Once I started thanking Him for the little things in my life (even though they sound insignificant), it became clear to me that I didn't even take the time to thank God about the bigger things in my life, the things that I have gotten so used to having. It may sound oxymoronic, but the more substantial things such as being able to live in a house & having the opportunity to go to a university to further my education, I kind of... forgot about. I was so used to living in the house that I live in & going to the school that I go to, that I didn't stop to thank God for these things, even though they should technically be the ones that I am most thankful for.  

Throughout that week, as I began to thank God for the most minuscule things as well as the most sizable ones, I noticed a change in my disposition; I had slowly but surely been noticing myself becoming happier. I discovered that thankfulness changes your attitude about life & everything around you for the better. It's more than a verbal response to someone after they held the door open for you. 

Ever since I chose to become a Christian as a young girl, I had experienced ups & downs like nobody's business. In middle school, there was a death in the family. After that happened, I basically lost my faith & belief that God was who He said He was. It sounds pretty drastic, but my family & I were believing for healing, so when that didn't happen, I was a confused kid. I couldn't understand why He would let something like that happen. But the thing is, I don't really have to know why God does the things He does or chooses not to do some things. There are millions of things that I don't understand nor want to understand (i.e. quantum physics), so I try to let God do all the planning. Obviously, I am not perfect, & I don't have a lot of patience. Giving God complete control has been a struggle. However, everything my family & I have been through has led to a deeper & more personal relationship with God. He taught me that everything works out for His good. I wouldn't wish what I had gone through on my worst enemy, but I have had to keep reminding myself that God knows what He's doing. Through all of the mess, it made me realize that He was a big enough god to handle it all. He doesn't need me to be a perfect Christian where all we talk about is how much I love Him, He wants to know me on a personal level. He wants to know ALL of us on a personal level, & He wants it to be out of love, not out of obligation. 

God actually wants to know me for me & you for you. For that reason, I am thankful. 

Reagan Fleming

Funny Stuff, Am I Right?

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Thinking of a topic to write about can be challenging at times. Some days it just comes naturally, and other days I sit at my desk and force myself to type. Today - with all of my homework and daily stress of college life - I am enduring the latter. 

“It’s a great lesson about not being too precious about your writing. You have to try your hardest to be at the top of your game and improve every joke you can until the last possible second, and then you have to let it go. You can’t be that kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it...You have to let people see what you wrote.”
— Tina Fey, Bossypants

Tina Fey is a comedic actress, but I would say that she is first and foremost a writer.

She has written sketches, a wonderful book, and also co-wrote 30 Rock when it came into being. (PS, that is my favorite show). As far as her book goes, I have never laughed so hard at a book before in my life. I actually listened to it in the audiobook format while driving to and from class. But hey, I loved hearing Fey narrate every chapter, because it made you feel as if you were having a face-to-face conversation with the woman behind Liz Lemon in 30 Rock. 

[I just imagined having a cup of coffee with Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Steve Carell. Oh, the absurdity of their jokes would be unreal. And just the best thing ever. That is all.]

The quote above from Fey can apply to both humor and writing; you can't overthink things. By doing so in the form of her quick wit, she is one of the most genius comedians of today. Through her book and how she portrays her character Liz Lemon, you can tell that she has a dry sense of humor, sort of like myself. *pat on the back* That is mostly why I listened to Fey's audiobook in the first place, honestly. Tina has a dry sense of humor, but that's the point: that's what she thinks is funny, and she goes with it. I just happen to be one of her many fans. 

The main thing that I took away from her book is that comedic timing is everything. But if the timing isn't working out, learn to laugh at yourself.

I have also discovered this through my own failed attempts at trying to be humorous. When I tell jokes (most of which I make up on the spot because I love terrible puns), I have a habit of completely butchering the end; I either a) take an extensive amount of time in trying to tell the joke to the point that the audience doesn’t remember what the set-up of the joke was, or b) I completely forget the ending altogether. Both options cause awkwardness and/or embarrassment on my part. I am known among my friend group as the giver of awful jokes, which is a blessing and a curse. I manage to brighten their day by either making them genuinely laugh, or by turning the laughter around to me as the teller of the jokes.

Here is some evidence:   

    - Me: So, what did the Eagle Scout say to the new Boy Scout? 

    - Person: What?…

    - Me: Can you knot? 

    *wait for laughter*

    (Depending on how long I wait for a reaction, I explain the joke further until they say something like, "Ahh. I get it.") Although, that is not the most desired result.

At some point in your life, you will probably be able to look back at your failed attempts at trying to be funny, and realize that the effort that you put into it or the result that you didn't plan on was even more funny than the joke itself. You have to learn to laugh at yourself. For years I wasn't able to do this, and whenever I did something stupid (such as my voice cracking, me tripping, slipping, falling, or having minor wardrobe malfunctions) I would get extremely embarrassed to the point where I would either cry about it later, or just get angry at the person laughing at me. Thankfully, this only lasted until middle school or so. (Other than the time I slipped on ice and smacked my head on the hard ground. I obviously cried after I knew what hit me, but in this instance it was permissible.) The fact is, if you're too serious about things in life, you'll never fully enjoy it. Like Fey said: "You can't be the kid standing at the top of the waterslide, overthinking it." You need to live life and some days you'll be embarrassed about things, or people will laugh at you when you don't want them to. But that's life. And if you don't learn to laugh at yourself, then life won't be as enjoyable as it could be.

Everything is a learning experience as I like to say, even when it comes to telling jokes or writing a book. You need to know who your audience is, and what they actually want to hear. However, you can't please everyone. At some point you just need to write what you want or tell the jokes that you think are funny, and some people may like it while others may not. But if you think about it, it would be a pretty mundane world if everyone liked everyone's works. There would be no reason to write different genres of books or come up with different types of jokes, because everyone would have the same sense of humor. We would all just be people with no distinction from one another. If you think about it in this way, it makes you (or should make you) want to improve your writing and joke-telling skills. It also proves that everyone has different tastes.   

Reagan Fleming