As my daughter and I were driving home the other night through a pretty fierce snowstorm I began to think about how my driving through the storm was like my life.
As I drove onto the highway I felt confident. It was snowing quite a bit but the blowing was minimal. The roads seemed slightly snow-covered but not slippery. I pulled out into the passing lane and drove by one or two cars. I noticed they were barely creeping along the highway but I felt confident about my driving so I went ahead. I looked in my rear view mirror a bit down the road and realized that they were following me. Sometimes in a storm it helps to have a car or truck lead you through the storm when you are unsure of the road. They were both slowing and speeding up as I did. Sometimes you are the leader when others need to be shown the way.
A bit farther down the road I noticed both cars were gone. Probably turned off one of the exits. Suddenly I saw a bit of red light far ahead of me. It looked like it was blinking but I couldn’t tell. The snow was now coming down pretty hard. Visibility was severely limited. I asked my daughter if she saw the lights too. At first she did not but then she said she could faintly see them. We drove another mile or so when suddenly two cars rushed past me in the passing lane. The wind picked up and the snow limited my visibility to the edge of the road and the front of my car. I got scared. I slowed down to a creep. I began to think about all the big trucks that drive this route and don’t always have working rear lights. During the best of weather you can come up on them suddenly and see a barely working rear light on one side with all the other back lights burnt out. What if there were a truck just ahead of me and I wasn’t seeing it? Would I hit it from the rear? I started to panic a bit and slowed down to a crawl. Sometimes our fears are valid and we need to slow down but other times they only hold us back from getting where we need to go.
As the snow slowed a bit again I sped up a bit as my confidence returned. I let two cars pass me as I came upon the truck that was there all along and his rear lights were barely visible. As I left the truck behind I noticed my confidence surging a bit. I passed the obstacle that was in my way.
We passed two accidents on the way. Both had just happened but police were stopping just as we got to them.
As we neared home I crested a hill and suddenly there was a very slow-moving truck in front of me. I couldn’t pull into the passing lane because there were 4 cars about to pass me so I applied my breaks. It was shear ice! My anti-lock brakes did their job and we stopped just short of rear ending the tractor-trailer. The cars zoomed past me and I tentatively pulled into the passing lane to get around the truck. It was super slippery. As I was passing the third truck in the line a pickup truck came quickly up behind me. It was riding my bumper trying to get me to go faster. My first instinct was to speed up more and get out of his way. But, I also knew that we were on ice and I was going as quickly as I felt appropriate. The thought flashed through my head that I will be by this truck and move over in just a minute. The truck behind me will have to wait for that minute so I can do it safely. I am doing what is right for me and if the car behind me is unhappy or mad I can’t control their response. I have to do what is right for me. I will be over soon and only holding them up for less than 2 minutes, I am not holding them up forever.
We arrived home safely after 1 hour and 20 minutes for a 40 minute drive. But, as I thought back over the drive and the life lessons I was thinking I will remember this drive for quite some time.
What's for Dinner Moms? 
Lots of lessons there for sure! So glad you are safe
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Thank you. It was an experience I don’t want to repeat again soon.
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yes I am sure!
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Held my breath as I read. Fantastic account of life and I can so apply it to both my life and my driving. Living here is Southern New England where the folks panic over a couple inches of snow, I am often frustrated by their driving habits and grateful for the skills I learned in Western NY. But at the same time I have to realize their lack of skill can be a danger to me and I have to hold back and just be grateful to arrive home in one piece. Same applies to life — full speed ahead, but as I age I have to learn to chill out and accept limitations. Stay warm and safe!
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Thank you, Pat. Same to you!
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Oh dear, that sounds awful. We don’t have snow in South Africa but that sounds like an experience I can do without.
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Thank you. It gets to be “normal” which can also be scary because you have to always be on alert during snow storms while driving. Doing it 4 months of every year you forget sometimes how dangerous it is.
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I am thankful you and your daughter made it home safely. So sorry you had to go through that, very scary.
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Thank you. It becomes almost “normal” here. If you don’t go out in the snow you don’t go out. I am thinking of hibernating for awhile though.
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Sounds like a great idea!
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It is good that you reached safely
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Thank you. Yes, I probably should have stayed where we were rather than driving home but it looked okay when we left. Lesson learned.
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I never drove in such situation. But sometimes you can’t predict what ll happen
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I certainly know how you feel! We went out in white-out conditions today for some much-needed staples in the house (milk, butter, fresh veggies, etc.) and it was white-knuckle all the way. My husband drove, as I am not confident at all in conditions like that. I’m glad y’all made it home safe and sound!
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Thank you! You too!
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Great post about life💖💖💖
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Thank you so much!
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Very nice essay on life. Glad you are safe.
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Thank you! It was a trip I don’t care to repeat. 😉
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Reblogged this on Jdawgswords and commented:
I get this…maybe you will too…
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Talk about memories! Snow and ice can be beautiful, but they can also be deadly. I am glad that I don’t live there anymore. Be safe!
Marcey
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Thanks. I am getting to the point we need to retire somewhere warm!
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Great insight and a great read 🙂
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Thank you so very much!
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Nice writing!
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Thank you so very much!
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scary! what type of car were you in?
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A mini van. When the wind hit the sides it would move the car.
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