Christmas Day brought the first decent amount of snow to my neighborhood. Today, in spite of the forecasters saying less than an inch would fall overnight, many inches fell.
I looked out the window and decided to take our 20 year old Suburban to work instead of my newer, smaller SUV. I put it in four wheel drive and headed out on the very snowy roads.
I did not grow up driving in the snow and my husband was the primary snow driver. I can do it, but I am not the most confident at it. As I drove down the 7 lane highway to my office, I was being passed by other vehicles. I was on the inside lane with the left turn lane next to me. I was occasionally slipping a little and thought “Why am I having so much trouble? I have a very capable 4WD vehicle and I am not THAT BAD a snow driver.” I thought about turning around and working from my house until the roads cleared. Then I noticed something.
I was driving as though the Suburban’s axle width was the same as Wanda the Honda’s axle width. This would put the left side of the Suburban into the deep slush in the left turn lane. I was making the journey much more difficult than it needed to be. I adjusted my wheels, followed the existing tracks and made it to work just fine.
After this experience, I thought about my life vehicle. Boy, did it change after my husband died. Not sure if it is sportier or sturdier or wider or what, but it is different. As I moved along the road of life, there were times I didn’t account for the change in my vehicle and the road it was on. I would get caught in the deep slush of fear, worry and depression and I felt things were going out of control. Once I put the tires in the right spot, the tough stuff eased up and my journey became more relaxed.
As you travel down life’s road, are you in the right vehicle? Are you remembering to keep your wheels out of the slush? What can you do to avoid as much slush as possible?
