I blame it on Seasonal Affective Disorder but to tell you the truth, it’s really just days like this that I dread. Living in Michigan is a true test of character. You just can’t make it to Christmas without at least one or two white-knuckle driving days. It’s as Pure Michigan as the Mackinac Bridge or paczki on Fat Tuesday.
And today, my friends, was the first of those days.
I have to say, I wasn’t prepared for it. I know it was snowing like crazy all day yesterday. I drove around in it. Carefully. I went to the grocery store for the necessities. I made hot chocolate and watched Annie Hall while the white stuff coated the trees and the snowplows tried desperately to keep up.
This morning I saw the reports of accidents and school closings and I gave myself the annual pep talk. Bundle up. Scrape the car so I can see through all the windows. Make sure the wipers work properly and all my lights are visible. It took a half an hour to make the car driveable. I couldn’t feel my fingers or my toes. My neighbor left and returned in that time, warning me Woodward Avenue might as well be an ice skating rink. “Stay home,” he said.
Alas, I trudged on to work. Very slowly. Staying mostly in the right lane. Driving like a grandmother. Listening to The Bird and The Bee sing Hall & Oates songs – because it’s somehow comforting and familiar. Cars were slipping and sliding all around my Mini Cooper. And I just kept thinking. Don’t hit the brakes. Just slow down and keep your distance.
The truth is, it’s not me I’m worried about. It’s him. The over-confident SUV driver who thinks he can go over the speed limit because he has 4 wheel drive. I saw him rear-end a Honda. And the Jeep that took that turnaround too fast and flung across all three lanes. I worry about that guy, too. And I fear that I’ll successfully stop for the light but that girl in back of me won’t be able to. Or that lady in the sedan next to me – the one holding her cell phone – will lose focus and veer into me.
What can I say, I’m a worrier. An icy road scaredy cat. And if I had a choice, I’d stay home and save us all the hassle of me, there in the right lane, going slowly and cautiously, holding you up. So just be patient with me, OK. I’ve got something like five airbags in that little vehicle and I’d prefer to keep them where they are – tucked away for safe keeping.
Be safe and drive cautiously so we can all get where we need to go.
This post is brought to you by Paragon Apartments and the Paragon Patio. We’d love to connect with you on Facebook or @ParagonApts on Twitter.
This post is brought to you by the fine folks at Paragon Apartments, offering apartments across Michigan, Ohio, Indiana, and Kentucky, and the Paragon Patio, where residents connect. We’d love to talk with you on Facebook and Twitter!
This is exactly how I feel to a t.