LIFE LESSONS FROM A BLIZZARD & 5 STRANGERS

When someone says that “everything is a teachable moment”, I absolutely roll my eyes. Don’t get me wrong, I am a huge fan of personal development, I just think that sometimes it’s less important to pull the lesson out of what is happening and more important to just get through it. On a different note, I also feel like taking time for yourself is more of an aesthetic pushed forth by lazy college kids in sunglasses and moms who drink wine during the day than it is a need. And there are times when, like most people, I question if there really are any truly good humans in this world.

These are some of my personal philosophies. Or... at least they were until about 2 weeks ago when they were all changed by a long weekend traveling for work, a snowstorm, and five strangers. How, you might be wondering? Settle in for the story of a lifetime, friends.

In the last full week of February, I took Thursday and Friday off of school to travel with my boss, Bob, to Western Wisconsin. I work at Bob Harris Enterprises, and one of the things we do is host seminars to teach race car drivers and their crews how to properly set up and work with their race cars. Honestly, I’m pretty lucky to have a job I love with the most interesting work, coolest coworkers, and best boss, but more about that in a future post.

Even though we left on Thursday, it doesn’t really get interesting for the general, non-racer population until Saturday evening, so I’ll condense everything up to that point in a quick summary: Lots of racers learning lots of race things and eating lots of snacks. On Saturday, we knew some winter weather was coming our way, so we wrapped up a bit early, loaded up, and were on our way down the road by 4 PM.

Now, like I said, up until this point nothing too substantial happened. But this is where it gets interesting, so grab a snack and hang on tight:

To get from Cameron to Minneapolis was only about a 2 hour drive. I did keep an eye on the weather as we went down the road, but I was more concerned with taking in some of the gorgeous Wisconsin scenery on the way home to worry about it. My mom, being the worry-wart she is, continued to text update after update as the weather got progressively worse back home. Even though the same system was headed our way, I did what every 19-almost-20 year old does: Text back “OK” and flush it from my mind.

We arrived in the Twin Cities around 6 PM, right on schedule. As we drove through downtown we noticed the snowflakes start to fly. Being the tough Iowans that we are, this did not phase us and we continued to drive down the road chatting about how the event went and all of our ideas to make next years’ seminars run even more smoothly. However, when we got to Owatonna (about halfway between the Twin Cities and the Iowa-Minnesota border) the flakes were starting to get bigger and the wind was beginning to pick up. And, of course, the frantic texts from my mother continued to roll in.

“Where are you?”

“Maybe you should just stay up there tonight?”

“It’s really bad here. Like people are dying!!”

Okay Mom, I get it. The weather is really, really, really bad. But Bob and I both had things to do on Sunday and I can’t imagine it’s going to get that bad that fast. I mean, at this point we only had about 2ish hours of driving to go. We were both confident that we would make it back that night. But as we neared Albert Lea, our top speed kept creeping slower and slower, keeping us stuck in the 35 MPH zone.

We pulled off of the interstate at Albert Lea to grab a snack and use the bathrooms. It was only when we slid all the way down the off ramp and past the driveway for the truck stop that I realized just how bad it was actually getting. We pulled up to a parking lot full of semis waiting it out. I’m honestly not sure if they could have found room for one more if they had to, hence the large number of truckers beginning to park on the shoulder of the road, behind the truck wash, and making their own spots wherever there was room.

Bob and I ran in to hit the restroom, grab a bite to eat, and chat briefly with the cashiers inside, who basically told us we were stupid for thinking we would make it very far that night. “Ha, ha, ha,” we thought, “These wimpy Minnesotans have no idea what us Iowans are made of! Pftt, this storm is nothing to us.” Looking back, that was terrible, TERRIBLE, logic. (Life Tip: When the Minnesota people say the weather is bad, IT’S BAD.)

There was a hotel at this truck stop. Bob asked me if I wanted to keep going or if I thought we should stay the night there. My gut (and my mother) told me we should stay. Instead, I told him that I didn’t really care and since he was driving it was up to him. So, even though his gut was also telling him we should have tried to wait it out, what did we do?

“Well, we better fill up on gas just in case.” I shake my head at my past self; dumb, dumb, dumb. If we needed gas “just in case” we should have just STAYED PUT. But, once again, I said I didn’t care (which was true at the time) and the hotel parking lot looked completely full, so I’m not sure we could have stayed there even if we wanted to.

We made the pivotal decision to get back onto the interstate and head south. I could expand on this part of the journey in great detail, considering it took us over a half an hour to drive 6 miles, but I will just go ahead and summarize it as best I can. In those 6 miles we drove no faster than 25 MPH at any point in time, were almost clipped by a semi twice, and could not see the cars in front of us. I am a big baby when it comes to blizzard driving and definitely tried to slam on my imaginary passenger side brakes multiple times, which Bob thought was absolutely hilarious. I would like it to be known, though, that I did not use the “Jesus handle” one time on this “adventure”, which is an achievement I am quite proud of.

I remember looking at the sign on the side of the road, noticing that it was still 136 miles to Des Moines, which was a pretty good gauge of how far from home we were. “Well crap, if we’ve only gone 6 miles in a half hour this is going to take forever.”

Oh, silly Emily, you spoke too soon! Because no more than 5 minutes after seeing that sign, the white truck two vehicles in front of us was sucked off the side of the road into the ditch. And, as the blind leading the blind goes, the car in front of us followed and we joined them. “Now it’s really going to take forever to get home.”

With all the hope in the world, Bob tried his best to use the four wheel drive to pull us back onto the road, but with the rain they had gotten before the snow now frozen, it was going to be nearly impossible to get out. The snow we had slid into was halfway up the passenger side door, which was also going to be a problem. I guess you could say we were in quite a pickle.

After multiple failed attempts of “BACK UP. STOP. DRIVE FORWARD. STOP. CUSS. REPEAT.,” Bob put the truck in park and we just kind of sat there. Then, I suggested we dig ourselves out of the snow we were stuck in to see if that helped the situation. It was a great idea, except Bob did not have a shovel in his truck. Hmmmm. I thought for a bit. My co-worker, Amy, is one of the most organized people I know. To help us pack for the event that weekend, she used plastic totes to keep everything neat and separate.

“Let’s dump stuff out of a tote and use it to scoop the snow!” So Bob went to the back of the truck, dumped two coffee makers and a package of coffee cups out of a large plastic tub, and started shoveling away at the snow. I didn’t have another big tote but I did have a 9” x 13” plastic container full of leftover macaroni salad from lunch in the backseat, so I climbed over to the driver’s side, sacrificed my noodles into the snow, and got to work. These plastic containers definitely did not work as well as a snow shovel would have and we probably looked really funny doing it, but eventually we moved enough snow to try to get out again.

At this point, had we not brought the trailer, we may have had a chance of getting out on our own. However, the trailer behind us was like a stake in the ground, and once we tried to drive out again that trailer just sucked us farther and farther off the road. Once we realized we probably weren’t going anywhere, we both let out a huge nose sigh- if you don’t know what that is, try to sigh but with your mouth closed. That is a nose sigh.

Bob suggested I start calling around to find a tow truck. The first number I called rang and rang, only to go to a voicemail box that WAS FULL. Okay, no problem. We’ll just try the next one Google gave me. On the next number, a woman picked up on the other line and asks for details. I told her we were on the interstate, white GMC truck with Iowa plates, blah blah blah. And do you know what that woman said?

“Oh, I’m sorry, ma’am, we aren’t pulling anyone off the interstate tonight.” WHAT? “We can come give you a ride but if someone comes and offers you one take it.”

“...okay. Thanks.” ARE. YOU. KIDDING. ME. Not even the tow trucks would come out. So maybe the weather is that bad after all? By now we had been there for almost 2 hours and were fully convinced we would be spending the night in the all-inclusive 2017 GMC Sierra Denali. After just kind of sitting there in disbelief for a while, Bob got a call from one of the panelists from the seminar, Ben, who was also headed south. Ben was staying the night in Waterloo and wanted to know how our trip home was going. Bob informed him of where we were and what had happened. Ben goes, “Well, did you call Kevin?”

Kevin was a guy Bob had worked with for a few years “back in the day” who was also a racer. Bob hadn’t talked to him forever, but as far as he knew Kevin lived in Clear Lake, about 45 minutes south of where we were stuck. Ben and Bob decided we just as well give him a call, maybe he has some crazy connection to a guy with a tow truck in Albert Lea?

Bob pulled out his phone, dialed him up, and it started to ring. Now, I can’t imagine what Kevin thought when he saw this guy he hasn’t talked to in forever calling him at 10 PM on a Saturday night during a blizzard, but for whatever reason he answered. Bob explained to him what was going on and where we were at. TURNS OUT THE GUY LIVES IN ALBERT LEA. Crazy, right? He moved up there a few years ago and was literally 4 miles from where we were stuck. So, in the middle of one of the craziest winter storms I’ve ever seen, he tells us he’s coming to pull us out and will be there in a little bit. God bless good people.

It does take a bit, but sure enough Kevin shows up in his big truck with a tow strap. We unhook the trailer, give it some gas, and with a little luck we get yanked out. Leaving the trailer behind, we get back on the road, hop over to the northbound side of the interstate, and head for Kevin’s house. I am not lying when I say there were times I still wasn’t sure that we wouldn’t be staying in the pickup for the night, and the number of cars and semis in the ditch on the way did not boost my confidence.

Around 11 PM we finally arrived at Kevin’s house. Bob and I drug our stuff inside and were lead down to the basement where his wife, Abby, was pulling out blankets and pillows for us to stay the night. Now, I never once doubted that they were good people, but I do have to say there is nothing more awkward than just kind of showing up at a stranger’s house and sleeping on a pullout couch in their basement. But at this point I was just so appreciative, and they had a shower and warm blankets, so I went to bed tired and thankful with the mindset that Bob and I would head for home sometime the next morning.

When I woke up and saw a snow drift as tall as the sliding glass door in the basement I knew we probably would not be going anywhere any time soon. (After finding out the interstate was closed, it turned out I was right.)

I actually woke up pretty refreshed, which was awesome, so I made my way upstairs to thank them again and awkwardly kind of introduce myself: “Hi, I’m Emily, I work for Bob. Thanks for letting me sleep on your couch!” While hanging out with Kevin, Abby, and their 3 young boys that morning I realized that they were some pretty darn good people. And, as it turns out, getting stranded at a stranger’s house for what turned into two days maybe wasn’t so bad after all.

For one thing, I got to take the break I didn’t know I needed. I’m not the busiest person in the world, but as a college student I do forget to treat myself to a well-deserved movie night or manicure every now and then. I thought I was doing pretty well to keep up with myself this semester, but the high quality of sleep I achieved on a pull out couch for two nights simply because I was not preoccupied with anything on my mind proved otherwise. I hadn’t brought a ton of homework to work on so I couldn’t do much for my classes. Instead, I was “forced” to do all kinds of wonderful, mindless things I didn’t realize I missed so much. For one, I got to sit on the couch on a Sunday morning and have a good chat over a cup of black coffee. I got to hang out with the boys all day and watch movies, play with race cars on the floor, and learn all about Paw Patrol. Shared a yummy home cooked meal. Watched the NASCAR race together. I was so busy “doing nothing” that I forgot about my phone, my schoolwork, and everything else that endlessly consumes my time. And it was awesome.

This trip was a great opportunity to value quality time with those you’re surrounded with. Was getting stuck on the side of the interstate in a blizzard the ideal “employee-boss” bonding? Ummm, no. BUT when it comes to finding the positives in a situation, that was definitely one of them. Bob has always been so good to me and tells the best stories, so getting the opportunity to just spend some quality time with him was an absolute treat. Ever gone on an adventure to walk around Home Depot with your boss during a blizzard? Yeah, that’s what I thought. I have been blessed with some of the best bosses throughout my “working career” (can I call it that if I’m only 19? idk.), and getting the chance to just spend time with someone I look up to will mean the world to me 2, 5, or 10 years down the road.

I also (obviously) was reminded that people really are good. I can’t even imagine what Kevin was thinking when he went out to get us, or what Abby was thinking when he left. They weren’t going to make any money by rescuing us, nor were they going to get any big fame (well, unless our blog suddenly takes off?). From the outside looking in, going out to get us in one of the worst snowstorms in years was actually a really bad idea. And, if anything, we cost them time, energy, and groceries. So why did they do it?

Because people. Are. Good.

I know it can be so hard to find the good in people. We see fights, wars, crime, harassment, discrimination, and even just plain selfish people blasted across our TV stations, news papers, and social media. But folks, I am telling you there are still good people in this world. I’m not sure why it takes something like getting stranded in a winter blast to realize that, but if we look around us we can always find good people surrounding us.

I know how hard it can be to find the meaning in a situation when all you can focus on is just getting through it. Maybe it’s something silly, like missing the bus, or maybe it’s something a bit more complicated like a death or a cancer diagnosis in your family. How are you supposed to find meaning in something that’s traumatic, sad, or even just annoying? I think what’s important to realize is that we usually cannot change these things that happen to us. We could not control that storm’s path, and no matter how hard we tried, once we were stuck there was no way we were getting out on our own. So when we can’t change the circumstances, why not find the good?

Isn’t crazy what some snow can teach you? I wonder how people who live in Florida learn their life lessons...

I want to once again give a huge thank you to Kevin, Abby, and their boys for making us feel at home those few days. It is a memory I will never forget and I’m so thankful that the whole, crazy story brought me 5 new friends!