Seems like every year in places like here, some people drive as if the first snow of the season is the first one they’ve ever seen. Somehow, the slickness always catches them off guard. “Whoa! I didn’t know a car could slide on this stuff!” And so they find themselves, hind parts forward, bottom parts up, on the side of the road, off in a ditch, or worse.

Then, of course, there are those whose reactions go to the opposite end of the cautious/careless spectrum. They drive as if their Drivers’ Education instructor wall-posted some maxim or mantra admonishing them to slow down one mile-per-hour for each snowflake. “Look at those idiots flying by me at thirty miles-an-hour,” they mutter to themselves. “I hope every one of ’em ends up in the ditch.”

Usually, if you have good tires and good sense, you can make it where you’re going in the snow. Slow down, take your time, double or triple your stopping distance, and be as wary as a mouse in a house full of cats.

There are times when caution and skill, a little practice and a bit of patience can get us through the dangers and the challenges. And, there are times when the answer to prayers for safety is having sense enough to know not to try it. Often enough, that one applies even when it’s not snowing.

H. Arnett
12/17/19