What I Deserve

I think I deserve a gold statue for making it to work today because it was a challenge.  Despite spending over an hour shoveling snow last night, I was up again at 5 a.m. to shovel again.  That decision I made last night where I shoveled the last 3 feet of snow in the driveway out onto the street didn't seem so smart today.  I thought others would drive over that hump of snow and the plow would have taken it away but no, the hump was still there and I would have to cross it.  By 6:45 I was in my car leaving.  I made it down my now skinnier driveway alright.  I was about to put on my seat belt when I hit that hump of snow I pushed into the street last night.  Whoa! I temporarily lost control.  No time to put on the seat belt right now.  My road was not plowed and only 1 person had traveled my block so far this morning.  I was pushing snow ahead with my "low to the ground" Honda civic.  I couldn't slow down or I would get stuck for sure.  My car swerved back and forth pushed by the snow.  When I got to the second block two cars had passed so it was slightly easier to drive but not easy enough for me to take my hands off the wheel to put on my seat belt.  I was turning the wheel left and right to stay on the road.  By the third block more cars had passed making tracks for me so I had hope I would make it out of my neighborhood.  As I approached the intersection where our neighborhood road leads to the highway I saw a problem.  There was a huge hump of snow at the end of the road.  There was also a SUV trying to enter our neighborhood who was hung up on that hump of snow.  To my left was a snow plow idling, waiting to enter our neighborhood.  I stopped to help the SUV get unstuck.  I grabbed my shovel out of my trunk and the young guy gratefully used it to shovel the snow away from all four of his tires.  As he handed it back to me I had to actually bite my tongue.  The driver looked to be in his early 20's and too old to hear me say, "Zip your coat!  Where are your mittens!"  I was bossy with him though.  As his tires spun round and round in both directions I said, "Here.  You get out and push and I'll drive."  Aren't I the assertive one?  Well, it bothered me that the snow plow was waiting.  I got in his car, turned off his radio that was blasting way too loud, and rocked his vehicle.  No good, he was still stuck.  The snow plow moved forward and back again.  I didn't notice but he dropped a pile of salt right by us.  The snow plow driver got out of his truck, wearing a short sleeved shirt, silently took my shovel and threw some salt around the back tires of the SUV.  Then he got back into his plow.  We tried again. We shoveled some more.  I pushed.  He rocked.  I shoveled.  We were at this for about 10 minutes.  I was frustrated.  I told him, "Here I am, shoveling the damn street."  That came out harsher than I meant. But maybe it was helpful. As I took my shovel back to the salt pile for more salt, the SUV got loose and drove away.  I tossed the salt up in the air and walked back to my car.  The snow plow driver took the corner.  I waved as he went by. I drove over to the plowed side of the street and got on the highway.  Even though I helped a driver get unstuck, I am not a total good Samaritan.  I thought about leaving the street but didn't because I thought a. I might get stuck and clog up our road even worse than it was, b. swerve and hit the SUV accidentally, and c. look like a selfish ding dong to the snow plow driver and every driver who would drive by me the entire time I was stuck.  Once on the highway I was pleasantly surprised how easy the rest of the ride was.  The roads were icy and slippery but plowed. The traffic was light and the drivers were driving carefully.  I was proud that I had made it to work even though once I got there I learned that we were closed for business because of the weather.  My work continued though and I got a  lot done today.  Due to changes in our database, changes in state rules for our agency, and normal business, I was way behind.  After today I am much closer to being caught up and it feels great.  Everyone else left early.  I was the only one working until 4.  After all I went through to get here, I was NOT going to lessen my accomplishment by leaving early.