I tried to work today. It was a super huge pain in the ass. The roads sucked. There was slop and ice all over the place. There were way too many cars out. I only had 3 patients I needed to see. I only got to 2. When I pulled into the parking lot of the assisted living facility where my second patient lived, I got stuck. Luckily a couple of the people working there saw my struggle and came out to help. I figured, due to the condition of the lot and my current location, that it would be much easier to just park in the space that was less than 10 feet from me rather than trying to get to the exit of the lot that was 100 or so feet from me. At least I could see my 2nd patient. I called my boss to let her know I was here for an unknown amount of time and that I wouldn't be able to see my 3rd patient. I went in to the front desk and was told that eventually, some guys with a huge motorized shovel type vehicle would be over to shovel out the lot, but for the moment they were across the street shoveling another giant lot.
I spent a bit more time than necessary with my patient. She was pleasant and in fairly good health and her company was much more enjoyable than sitting in a cold car doing my charting.
I ended up stuck there for almost 3 hours. I walked over to a nearby Safeway to get something to eat, since I had missed lunchtime and it was already well after 1pm. Walking was treacherous and sad...I couldn't tell where the sidewalk was and every step was an effort to get over a pile of slop. My winter boots are not made to step in melting pools of snow, so my feet and socks were getting wet. I ate chicken and waldorf salad at the store and watched everyone plow through the parking lot there in mad attempts to get supplies they have been unable to get for the past week and a half. I thought of stopping at the bar on the way back, but I really just wanted to go home, despite the fact that I have barely left my home for the past week. So I walked back to the facility to see how things were going.
Finally the giant shovelmobile finished the parking lot across the street and came over to work on ours. He moved some of the large piles of snow around, but I still needed a push. One of the employees at the facility and another guy with a hand held shovel working with the guy driving the big shovel helped push me over a now much smaller pile of snow/slush/crap. I drove the long way home, in order to stay on more main roads. At last, my culdesac was within view.
I turned into the culdesac and immediately got stuck again. UGH! It was not quite as frustrating because at least I could see my house from the car. But the whole day just felt unproductive and wet and lame. Although at the same time it was almost funny. Chris was going to be home in another hour or so, so I left the hazard lights on and went to the house to grab a shovel.
At that moment a jeep with a winch pulled in and a guy hollered "are you stuck?" Long story shorter, he towed my car to my driveway for no other reason than to just help. I asked him before he left, "are you just driving around helping people?" "Pretty much," he said. And just like the Winter Warlock my icy heart and feet melted. I kinda forgot about how crappy the day had been. I only wish I had had something super awesome to give him. Like some super fantastic knitted item. Dang, I gotta keep more things like this on hand.
Humans are great.
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