December 20, 2009

Snow Stories


Thank goodness for neighbors! I went out today to find my car, which was buried under yesterday's snow. We got over 20" here so the only thing I could see of my car was the very tips of the windshield wipers I had pulled up and away from the window on Friday night. The rest was nothing but one big lump of white! At least I don't have to worry about shoveling the sidewalks. That's one good thing about living in a condo -- someone else does that part.

So, I went downstairs with my snow shovel and push broom to see what I could do. There were several neighbors out, so I chatted with my downstairs neighbor, Jim, as I worked. I started to shovel a spot where I could walk from the sidewalk to my car. I got through about 4' x 1 shovel width and knew that this was going to be a big job! We had at least 20" of snowfall yesterday. I'm not very tall, so it was slow moving.

After a few minutes, a nice-looking young man (probably a 30-something) from across the parking lot walked over. He said, "I have an offer for you. If you'll let me use your shovel [he didn't have one], I'll dig out your car." I told him he was welcome to use it, but didn't have to shovel mine, but he insisted. I'm no fool -- I graciously accepted his trade. I handed over the shovel so he could dig out his own cars first, then I took the broom and used it to clean the snow off my car. Fortunately, it was a very light snow, but it still took quite a bit of effort. Not only am I short, but I'm no spring chicken, so it took me about 30 minutes just to clean off the car itself. It was very hard for me to move around the car, especially as the snow came off the top and added to the height of the snow around me. I got it done, told Garrett (the young man) that there wasn't any rush to get mine done because I'm not going anywhere any time soon, and went inside. I was soaked through all my layers, so I stripped down and threw my clothes in the dryer.

I just looked outside about 20 minutes ago and the area around my car has been cleared completely. I saw Garrett heading for his apartment, so I dashed down to the landing and hollered "Thank you!" to him. He wouldn't accept any payment; I guess loaning him my shovel was payment enough for him. I've never met him before and I'm not sure I'd recognize him again, but I'll remember him for a long time. He's restored my faith in human nature! There ARE still a lot of nice people out there in the world. Thank goodness for this one!