It's snowing in my part of blog world. It's about five pm and it's been snowing pretty heavily since ten a.m. We've got about four inches so far, and no sign of letting up yet. I work about forty miles (all parkways) from home, so snow is a MAJOR cause of stress for me. I work in a business where the show must go on, so rarely do I stay home due to weather.
So, I got up earlier than usual, and left the house by five a.m. ( I know, sucks to be me. It's not too bad, as long as you don't like prime time tv!) I was in to work before six, and come the first snow flake, I was headed home. I made it in to the driveway just as the snow started to stick. Lucky me.
Not always. Of course not. If my life were all peaches and cream, what a dull blog this would be. Okay, maybe even duller than it already is.
About five years ago, it was snowing as I was heading to work. There was already about three
inches on the roads, but I figured what the heck. I was invincible. I am woman. Hear me roar! (Although if you ask hubby, these days it's more like hear me snore.) So I took my trusty sled-translate- Mitsubishi Eclipse- more like a snow skate than a car with traction.
I was approaching the parkway and feeling pretty confident. There weren't many cars on the road (gee, I wonder why), and those that were out were all heavy duty pick ups and Hummers. In hindsight, I probably should have pondered that information a little more thoroughly.
Anyway, I was in complete control, when my dear old bucket of bolts car decided it did not want to approach the parkway headlights first.
The car went into a blind spin, during which time, I clearly remember screaming (aloud? in my head?-- What's the difference at that point?) I remember thinking, turn away from the spin. I did. No difference. I tried turning the steering wheel INTO the spin. Less difference. So I just spun and spun, and spun some more. I was wondering if my car would stop when it hit the guardrail that had started out two lanes away from me, or if it would stop when it hit up against a tree on the other side of the road.
It did neither. It simply stopped spinning after the third (or was it fourth?) 360 degree turn and came to rest somewhere in the middle of the four lane highway. well. This was good. The only problem was, I was now pointing towards oncoming traffic. The headlights of traffic that was supposed to be behind me were now shining AT me.
Thank God/Allah/St. Christopher and who ever else was in charge of me that day, because the first vehicle approaching was a Hummer. And HIS car stopped on command. So did the others behind him.
I took a deep breath, and turned on my directional to make a left hand turn from the Wrong direction on to a side street. I pulled off, and put the car in park. After counting fingers and toes and limbs still intact (don't ask why-there was NO rational thought happening by now), I put the car back in gear and spent the next thirty minutes navigating my way back home.
Home. My haven. Where my family were still safely and snuggly tucked in their beds. Home. Where I wanted to be enveloped in their love and comfort.
I was greeted at the door by my then husband and oldest son, who had come to see why I was back so soon. I retold AND relived my tale of woe, and I sat down to drink in their warmth and kindnesses.
I waited. And then I waited some more. When I finally lifted my weary head from my hands, I realized why their comforting tidings weren't heard. They were laughing. Not out loud. Not at first. But there it was. The snicker that can't quite be suppressed.
Okay, thought I. It was a LITLE funny. Me, the big old bad Mom who could handle anything, all shook up over a little snow. Heck, I hadn't even hit anything. No harm done.
Life went on, the world turned, more snow came and went. And the big spinout was all but forgotten.
Until last week. When my eleven year old, WHO WAS ONLY SIX AT THE TIME of the big spinout, came off the school bus and bounded into the house. He said, "How come you're home so early? Oh wait a minute. There were flurries this afternoon, weren't there?"
Well, it COULD have been a big snow fall.
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