I’m not going to lie. It was a bit of a rough night. After working a busy day shift with only three hours of sleep in me and in very icy and snowy road conditions I headed home, prepared for the fact that due to the amount of snow that fell out of the sky I would likely have to park my car on a plowed street and walk the rest of the way home. This did not deter me as I knew that my baby Jack was at home waiting for me. But it was worse than I had expected. Much, much worse. The west side of the highway probably got more than double the snow than the east where I was traveling from. This in its self is not a shocker. Living in relative proximity to the mountains - actually living in Alberta at all makes a massive snowfall an expected occurrence. HOWEVER, it becomes a bit more of an issue when your municipality decides that plowing the roads (any of the roads) is simply not on its list of things to do.
I needed to get milk from the store where I proceeded to get stuck in the parking lot. A wonderful man saw my plight and began rocking my car until I was free from what our slightly oddball news meterologist calls “grippy snow”. Grateful for the help I proceeded to head home and turned onto what is not a primary road but the largest north/south running street on the west side of town only to find a foot of snow spread across it. I kid you not! In the wisdom of my “many” years of winter driving experience I decided to take a high-speed run at it, figuring that it surely couldn’t be like that the whole way through. I made it about halfway before I lost control and 360’d it to the buried curb. Miraculously I managed to rock out of that one myself and continued the chaotic path to my street. I went to turn into the street I planned to park my car on and was dead stuck. Actually, that’s not even true. I was completely high centered. Spinning in the air.
First I was given the blessing of two young men who began trying to push me out. After about 15 minutes of pushing another two gentlemen joined the efforts until I was free for a whole 5 metres before another two guys pushed me again until I was well away from my home where Jack waited. I could not stop. There was no where I could stop the car without getting stuck and I needed to still get out for work in the morning. I was so frustrated! What did the town expect us commuters to do? I finally decided that the best option over all was to head back the direction I came - back to work and ask for the hospitality of friends for the evening. They gracefully accommodated me. On top of that my dad offered to go and get Jack just as soon as the streets were plowed (he also ended up shoveling my driveway {thanks dad} ).
First I was given the blessing of two young men who began trying to push me out. After about 15 minutes of pushing another two gentlemen joined the efforts until I was free for a whole 5 metres before another two guys pushed me again until I was well away from my home where Jack waited. I could not stop. There was no where I could stop the car without getting stuck and I needed to still get out for work in the morning. I was so frustrated! What did the town expect us commuters to do? I finally decided that the best option over all was to head back the direction I came - back to work and ask for the hospitality of friends for the evening. They gracefully accommodated me. On top of that my dad offered to go and get Jack just as soon as the streets were plowed (he also ended up shoveling my driveway {thanks dad} ).
You might think that this is where the story stops and I end with an AWESOME. But it gets better!
It is definitely awesome that I have friends and a dad that would go out of their way to help me out. It is especially heart warming when you have a total of seven strangers that stop what they are doing to push you out of a rut.
But you know what else is awesome? Getting to be one of those strangers! I came home tonight and got stuck again trying to turn onto my road. Another stranger jumped out of his truck and pushed me out. I yelled my thanks as I struggled to get control on the road and began thinking how I wished I could somehow give back - I mean I just had a platoon of strangers help me out in the past 24 hours, I should be contributing something back in the way of blessings.
I finally made it to my beautiful home and quickly jumped out and shoveled the remains of the plow so I could pull into my snow-free garage. Suddenly a car came by and stopped and three women around my age grabbed shovels out of the trunk and began shoveling one of the driveways a few houses down from me. I could tell from the conversation that this house belonged to someone they knew didn’t have anyone to help shovel their driveway. I was being given a chance to give back! I brought my shovel and together the four of us shoveled a truck load of snow out of that driveway.
What a great feeling.
So! Having strangers help you out and being able to help a stranger out. . .
AWESOME!!!!!!!!
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