Story of a Girl in "Gridlock"

Tuesday, January 28, 2014 started off like any other day.  I was running late, as usual, and debated on whether to put my golden retriever, Lucy, out or leave her in the house.  I knew it was supposed to drop below freezing and lightly snow, and anticipated her water would freeze.  However, I decided to put her out as usual since she seems to actually enjoy the cold. I drove to work in downtown Birmingham, specifically 5 points with no difficulty.  After I had been at work a couple of hours I heard one of my coworkers excitedly yell, "It's snowing!" I sit in a windowless office so I was unaware and not phased.  I did notice when I walked across to our clinic to see my 1030 patient it was steadily coming down.  During my appointment I was informed that UAB and all UAB clinics would close at 1200 and it pretty much went downhill from there.

 Everyone in downtown Birmingham immediately tried to rush out the doors to go to the grocery store, pick up their child, or just get home safe before it got bad.  However, what nobody knew was it already was bad and all those people would soon form the worst traffic jam Birmingham has ever seen.  What followed next was absolute chaos.  I stayed at work until 300 and attempted to drive home, spending 45 minutes in the car going 5 blocks before I committed to sleeping in my office.  When I returned several people in my office remained and Southside Birmingham was a solid sheet of ice.  We figured this out when we walked to Fuego a couple of blocks away to get dinner.  You had to watch your step very precisely.  I can't believe not a single one of us fell.  I retreated to my office and was glad I had a warm spot to spend the night as I watched the live stream from Fox 6 News of hundreds of abandoned cars and people still stuck on I-65.  Every major road in Birmingham was in a "gridlock" as they kept insisting on calling it.  Basically a parking lot.  I worried about all those people stuck in their cars, walking to a safe place; and was grateful for the kindness of strangers that helped.  At 1100 I laid on my floor with a Boppy pillow I found in our clinic and my coat as I blanket.  I slept three hours and then since I was getting little to no rest just got up.  I spent the next few hours checking the weather, scanning Pinterest, checking James Spann's Facebook page, and watching American Psycho on my computer.  (#ihavetoreturnsomevideotapes) At 7 AM I decided to walk to the Waffle House with my friend to assess the situation. Ghost town and solid ice again, plus the Waffle House was closed.  I had kept a positive attitude up until this point, but slowly I became more and more down hearted regarding my chances of getting home.  Further, let me just clue in people what not to say to someone who is iced in at their place of employment.

• Traffic tracker lady if you tell me one more time to stay at home and enjoy my family I will come down to Fox 6 News and punch you in the face.  I am not at home; therefore, I can't enjoy anything,  especially anything at home.  In addition, I'm all about people helping people, but I want to see the traffic where I can get home, not the man at Home Depot in Pelham giving away free coffee.  Report the friggin' traffic.
• If you are from a state that experiences cold weather frequently I don't want to hear about how you are an expert at driving in icy conditions and that this isn't anything compared to (fill in cold weather state).
• Please don't tell me how lucky I am not to be stuck in my car.  I realize this and I'm thankful, but I'm also pissed and got three hours of sleep last night on my office floor. I want to go home.
• Please if you are on Facebook don't make fun of how Birmingham is in a gridlock because of 2 inches of snow.  It must be nice to drive home to your warm nice home and not have hundreds of 18-wheelers and abandoned cars blocking your way, not have to leave your babies at daycare or school because you just can't get to them.  Geez Louise, have a little compassion.
• Plus, while I am scanning Facebook to determine what roads I can take home without having a wreck or being stuck in traffic for hours on end, I noticed all these people, cute children, and families having "so much fun" on their "snow day". "Fun" not quite the word I would use for my "snow day".  Hey, at least someone enjoyed it because I sure didn't.
• This is unrelated, but you telling James Spann, Mickey Ferguson, or any other meteorologist how poorly they forecast the weather does not change the situation and some comments are just downright rude.  Everyone makes mistakes and I am sure they feel bad enough already without your two cents.

After watching the news and studying what roads could take me home, I concluded I-65 is impassable and I had to find another route.  I asked Facebook, I called people, and finally devised a route.  I had to get home for my own sanity and to check on my dog.  When I left my office, I had been confined to 5 points for 28 hours.  Not knowing what to expect, I formed a caravan with my friend and her husband and headed out.  If I got stuck I would get in the car with them and vice versa.  Southside was a breeze and the major Homewood roads were sanded.  As we went under I-65 to reach Green Springs it was at a stand still, a gridlock, a parking lot.  Abandoned cars were everywhere.  Some pulled off to the side of the road, some in the middle of the road, and some just where they ended when they slid across the road.  It was like the majority of people said, "Forget this" and hoofed it to a warm place.  We decided our best bet was 280 and it was.  We merged onto 280 from Lakeshore Drive with no difficulty and were met with tons of abandoned cars that we had to weave around.  There were people everywhere walking to retrieve their cars.  Some people hitched rides, some I had no idea where they were going.  Once past the obstacle course, traffic formed one line until the Summit and everyone surprisingly enough was courteous.  After the Summit it was smooth sailing and I quickly made it to Hoover.  However, the situation in Hoover didn't look any better.  People all over Birmingham were in dire straits last night.  Thankfully, most cars were empty, I just pray the people in them found a warm place to sleep last night.

I made it home after almost 3 hours in the car and Lucy appeared not phased by my absence.  So all in all everything worked out.  I am so thankful to be home tonight, but I am still praying for all those stuck somewhere, especially my buddies at UAB Sparks Clinics. Thanks to everyone that prayed for me today or called to check on me, even though I might have been grumpy.  When I logged in Facebook today to check the roads this was the first post I saw and I thought if was fitting for today.

"Safe? ... Who said anything about safe? ‘Course he isn’t safe. But he’s good. He’s the King, I tell you."

-CS Lewis

Remember God is GOOD all the time! And a big Happy Birthday to my brother! He spent his birthday stuck in a Quality Inn in Anniston, but I hope it was happy anyways! Stay safe Birmingham!

10 Things My Golden Retriever Has Taught Me

Today was a beautiful day.  I decided to take Lucy (my golden retriever) for a walk when I got home from church.  She anxiously awaited the walk, as she held her head outside the car window anticipating where we were going.  As we began our stroll she immediately found the nearest mud puddle and proceeded to sit right in the middle of it, as she lapped up the water, quenching her thirst.  At that moment I envied her dog's life.  No worries.  No self-awareness. Complete happiness!  The rest of the walk I thought about what lessons she has taught me over the last five years she has spent with me.

1. Take every opportunity to show people you love how much you love them.  I am greeted everyday when I come home from work with a wagging tail.  Her excitement is over the top, as if she has been waiting all day for the second I walked through the door.  She doesn't let one day go by without showing me how much she has missed me.  Excitement usually fades with people but not with golden retrievers, not with Lucy.
2. A car ride is best enjoyed with the windows down.
3. Demand attention and affection.  Most people let others assume what they need or want.  Lucy asks for attention when she wants it.  Lucy will demand attention when she feels she needs it.  She barks as she is standing in front of me.  She paws at me while I'm laying on the couch.  She nudges her nose underneath my arm to encourage petting.  She whines at my bedside in the morning to insist I wake up.  She won't go unnoticed.  What if people just told others what they needed? How much easier would relationships be? Sometimes I wish I could be as bold as her when asking others for what I need.
4. Don't waste time on people that don't like you.  I read a quote once that said, "You are not made for everyone to like you" and what a true statement it is.  Lucy reads people quickly, if she senses you don't like her then she won't waste one second on you, instead she puts all of her energy into people that appreciate her, love her.  Only if people could do this....
5. Forgive quickly.  Lucy doesn't hold grudges if someone loses their temper with her. She might stay mad a couple of minutes.  After that, it's as if it never happened.  No bitterness, no hurt feelings.  She is just glad to be back in your good graces. 
6. Enjoy the little things.  A long walk. A mud puddle. Sunshine.  A car ride.  A visit from a loved one.  Day to day activities  bring Lucy immense happiness; she doesn't know anything else but the little things.  All the moments and seconds that make up the majority of your life, Lucy cherishes.  She doesn't let a moment slip away from her.
7. Eat well and often.  Don't be picky.  Lucy would eat all day, everyday if I would let her.  Her palate is vast.  She never misses an opportunity to eat and will wait patiently by your side while you are eating just for the chance to have one bite of your food.  Sometimes she gets so excited at the thought of eating she will jump up and down or spin in circles!
8. There is always enough minutes in the day for a nap. Don't feel bad if you take one.
9. Don't be afraid to get dirty.  The best things in life require you to sweat.  Lucy doesn't care to get down and dirty to have a little fun.
10. Love unconditionally.  Lucy loves hard.  She doesn't care if I'm pretty, educated, skinny, wealthy, funny; she just loves me because I am her person.  She has been the love of my life for the past five years.  She's mended my broken hearts and provided me cheer when I needed it the most.  She senses my sadness and always sits near, sometimes with her head in my lap as if to say, "Everything will be OK."

And everything usually is.