The Apocalypse

Photo by Wendy Hartley in Sylacauga, AL.

When the word "apocalypse" is used today it is usually in reference to a future event. It brings to mind images of war, famine, looting, and anarchy. The traditional use of the word refers not to an event but rather to a thought or vision. It is defined in the dictionary as "a revelation."

Today I had an apocalypse of the apocalypse.

Much of the South, including my beloved Alabama, is about to have what the Weather Channel would label a "weather event" (I hate that term--makes me feel like I should buy a ticket, dress up, and R.S.V.P.). The prediction is for snow and ice tonight and all day tomorrow. Most churches have already canceled evening services, and many schools (including Auburn University) have already announced that they will not be open tomorrow. As I write this, nary a flake or pellet has hit the ground at my homestead.

The cancellations are a good thing. Native Alabamians cannot drive in ice or snow. Ask any transplanted Yankee. An inch of snow paralyzes the State. Ice is even worse. It is an insurance company's nightmare.

Sometimes technology is a good thing. It is nice to have 48 hours notice when you have a hurricane or a major storm bearing down on you. It gives you time to make preparations. Down here we buy milk and bread--all of it. I don't know why, we just do. Perhaps this is Southern survival food, although for me a better choice would be fried chicken and sweet tea. Milk and bread are the first items to disappear from the store shelves.

I am not prone to participate in these shopping frenzies. I am woefully unprepared for disasters of any kind. I have no emergency survival kit, no stock of supplies, no massive amounts of fuel or ammunition laid by. I am apathetic or stupid--you make the call.

I did, however, venture out today. My sweet Honduran "daughter" and her three-week-old baby are going to stay with us for a few days while her husband is away on National Guard duty. Not wishing them to be uncomfortable if the worst happens, I went out to get a few supplies.

This is when I had my revelation--my own personal apocalypse.

There were people everywhere buying anything they could get their hands on. Lines were long and lots of things were already sold out. Batteries, generators, heaters, firewood, and food items were gone or disappearing quickly. All for a storm that might knock out power for a day.

It seems I'm not the only one who is unprepared.

What would happen in a real emergency? It's hard to say, but I'm guessing it would get ugly pretty quickly. Real ugly. The fabric of society would be rent asunder within a few days.

Most of us have become so urbanized, even in the rural South, that we lack the skills to survive even a few days off the grid. We are soft. We are detached. We are helpless.

My apocalypse affected me deeply. I think I'm going to plant a garden this year. Maybe I'll can some vegetables and put a deer or two in the freezer.

After all, when it all hits the fan at some point in the future, I'll need something to go with all this milk and bread.