So here it is in August and I can't believe I never related a story that occurred in April. Boy, time sure flies!
For those of you who live in Minnesota, you will of course recall the horrible spring we had this year. More snow in April than ever in history. And it was COLD! Well, I was driving in the middle of a snow storm through the quiet streets of Menomonie, WI. It was lunch time, but the weather was so bad that not too many people were out. (Why was I? you ask. That's another story.) Since it typically doesn't snow much in April, most of the cities took the plows off the trucks, so little or no snow plowing had taken place. It was a mess.
I decided to pull into a Subway shop for a sandwich, and I got about half way into the lot when suddenly I came to a complete stop. It wasn't so much that the snow was preventing me from moving, but it was turning to a sleety/ slushy/icy mixture under my tires and I got virtually zero traction.
So there I was, all alone and stuck halfway between a parking lot the street. Needless to say, I was quite upset. As I was sitting there trying to decide what I could do, three people about 18 - 20 years old came walking by; two boys and a girl (I could tell their gender by how they were dressed - no skin was visible beneath their jackets, hats and scarves). Presumably they were students at Stout University just a few blocks away. Keep in mind that the snow was coming down hard, the wind was blowing even harder, my heater was on full blast, and it was so noisy I couldn't hear much at all.
Without me even having to ask, they immediately went to work on my car. Had this been in New York I would have assumed they were going to strip the car and rob me blind, but this was Wisconsin, and they simply wanted to offer help to a needy soul. As relieved as I was, I quickly realized that they were not able to get me out. The snow was turning to slush so quickly under my tires that if we managed to move the car at all, it just settled into it's new spot and the tires started spinning. I knew if I managed to get out it would be important to keep my momentum going and not stop at all.
I rolled down the window and we exchanged a few words that were nearly inaudible with the howling wind. They just kept on pushing and I attempted to synchronize the wheel motion with there pushes. Suddenly a fourth person showed up seemingly out of nowhere. This guy (I assume it was a guy) was huge. He walked up to the front of the car where the other three were and started giving them directions, none of which I heard. The four started to work in unison, and amazingly my car was freed from the piles of snow in the parking lot. I was at last freely moving in the street.
I felt like I needed to do or say something to them and started to roll my window down again. The big guy started waving his arms wildly, basically signalling me to keep moving. He knew, as I did, that momentum was critical. I put the car in drive and managed to get enough traction to get rolling, and soon I was back at my place of work and was safe.
I never met these people, never even saw their faces, and of course there is no way I will ever meet them now. But they rescued me in my time of need, for no other reason then it was the right thing to do. I still wonder why they happened to be at that spot at that time. It would be great if by some miracle they were to read this so I could tell them how truly grateful I am, but I suspect they know.
The most amazing thing of all was how I felt afterward, and even to this day. It was a miserable day and I was in a miserable mood. But after that experience I couldn't help but feel that wonderful warm glow you get when you experience an act of tremendous kindness. It never really goes away.
To the two young men and the young girl, and to the giant who came up later, all I can say is thank you. Who knows, we may meet again and I'll get a chance to return the favor.
