I debated sharing this with anyone, and I slowly had a change of heart the more I realized how great of a story this really is. It also answers that question, “What if?”

I called my mother to let her know what happened. “Is Dad there?”

“Yeah, why? Do need to talk to him?” paraphrasing Mom.

“No, just wondering. I got my snowblower started. Worked great. I did the tire tracks in my driveway.”

“Oh, good! At least you know can get out of there.”

I chuckled a little replying with a, “Yeah.”

Mom has no clue. She doesn’t know why I called her or has any idea what happened to me today. In a way, it is a blessing in disguise. You see, I have three exams scheduled for today and tomorrow. I am only ready for one. On top of that, I have to write up a report that is due tomorrow evening. No, I wasn’t procrastinating; I just didn’t have enough time to cram in everything I have to do. Because of today’s event, though, I also had to email all of my professors to let them know that I was completely unable to get to Michigan Tech, today.

I considered pulling out the bicycle and commuting, but one exam is in the evening, so the darkness combined with the snow, cold, and automobiles doesn’t exactly represent a safe bicycle commuting environment. Also, I don’t have the proper foot gear to keep my toes from going numb during the commute. It just isn’t a safe idea. Taking all of this into consideration, my exams are in the process of being postponed for next week when I have a loaner car available to me. The funny part is that it is Thanksgiving break. The cool part is that I won’t have to take my exams with other people. What doesn’t make sense is that I told two of my profs to keep it confidential because they are both in social circles where information like this would get out to the community in relation to Di pretty rapidly. I’m not really in the mood to be the topic of discussion.

I will address the usual questions when loved ones, colleagues, and friends find out something like this happened. Yes, I am ok. No, I was not hurt – not a bruise, not a scratch, maybe just a little of my pride. The situation was odd and was one in which I thought I’d never find myself.

I was driving down Lake Annie Road, this morning. Even though I slowed down, the greasy, fresh snow on the S-curve made for the ideal environment of sliding. Yes, I steered the vehicle in one direction and the back end kept going forward instead of where I wanted it to go. It spun around and I slid into the ditch. That’s really not a big deal. Ditches are not uncommon. I was hauled out of the ditch just last year. It was the ditch along my driveway, but a ditch nonetheless. I called Alltel to use my road service and the tow-truck pulled me out on Alltel’s dime. It was pretty sweet.

Unfortunately, today’s situation wasn’t quite that simple. When the vehicle quit sliding, it proceeded to turn over. Ffffffwwwwaaaaaaaap! It all happened rather slowly. The vehicle rolling over onto the driver’s side really was of no consequence to me, other than the fact that I couldn’t roll my vehicle over by myself and head down the road on my merry way. No, that wasn’t happening, today. I found myself sitting in my vehicle in a rather unusual position. Alltel was not going to save me, today. For the first time, ever, I called 911 for my own assistance. Ok, the second time. The first time was when I was driving down I-75 in Troy (north of Detroit) and was getting harassed by another vehicle. Two cars – five lanes – WTF? So, I called 911.

The 911 operator asked me if I was ok and if I was in the vehicle. Yes, I’m ok. Yes, I’m still in the vehicle. “Can you get out?” she asked.

“Well, I’ll have to get back with you on that.”

“Ok, you try to get out. If you have any questions, just call me back. In the meantime, I’ll get the wrecker and the police out there.”

“Thank you.” Beep. (Cell phones don’t “click,” so I used a “beep,” instead. )

Did you know that car doors are heavy? For example, the doors on my dad’s heavy Chevy pickup are very heavy. They are so heavy that it takes a bit more effort to close them when the vehicle is upright. My Pathfinder doors aren’t that heavy, but they are heavier than some. Working against gravity, I was trying to hold the door open – up – with one arm while exiting the vehicle in a fashion that it wasn’t really designed for. I climbed out of my Pathfinder.

Step one complete. Step two…I found myself standing on the side of my vehicle – on top of the passenger side to be exact. It was a little odd. Did you know that the vehicle seems bigger when you are standing on top of it? I looked around me for the easiest escape. The snow really isn’t that deep, yet, so the possibility of a little pain was in mind. I chose to slide down the windshield to the ground. I found myself standing beside my vehicle in the snow and wind and suddenly thinking, “Why did I get out of my vehicle? At least I could have listened to some music while I was in there.” It was also warmer in the vehicle.

The Houghton County police showed up and put me in the back of their truck to warm up. They wrote up an accident report while waiting for the tow truck. This was such an odd situation. The tow truck came, flipped the vehicle back into its proper position, and hauled it away. The two police officers drove me home, complete with the 22-pound bag of dog food I bought. Dogs have to eat.

In retrospect, I don’t know why I took Lake Annie Road. I should’ve known better. I should’ve taken my road. My road is straight. It has better traction. It’s just smarter. Simply taking the usual route would’ve prevented this whole situation and I would have my vehicle. However, I would also be doomed to take three horrible exams at Michigan Tech. There is most certainly a silver lining. Leave it to me to find it.

The other inconvenience is that I left my backpack and my insurance packet in the police vehicle. I am currently searching for a ride to go pick it up.

I would also like to take this moment to thank Farm Bureau. My family has been with the same agent for decades, and I recently switched to them. They are making the process painless. It is wonderful.

This event also gave proof to my narrow-minded addiction as well. When I found myself standing in the snow facing my overturned vehicle, one thought came to mind: I am really glad I took my Jamis mountain bike out of the vehicle, last Sunday.