The thing I hate about snow.

I guess I should change one word in the title... from hate to despise. I wonder which is stronger. That's the one I want to use.

I haven't been able to write for a week. My mind has been trying to grasp, ponder, internalize, come to peace with a certain event that happened last week. The only thing that I can ever really come away with is that everything does happen for a reason and that deep within everything is a lesson somewhere.

Here is a quote that I found somewhat touching after the events of last week: "Life, if you keep chasing it so hard, will drive you to death. Time- when pursued like a bandit- will behave like one; always remaining one country or one room ahead of you, changing its name and hair color to elude you... taunting you. At some point you have to stop because it won't. You have to admit that you can't catch it. That you're not supposed to catch it. At some point, you gotta let go and sit still and allow contentment to come to you. This is the message I'm getting. Sit quietly for now and cease your relentless participation. Watch what happens."

This will make more sense in a minute. I promise.

Last Wednesday, Snoqualmie pass (the main pass on a major interstate from here to CWU- where Tim goes to school- was closed). It had been closed for over a day and half due to massive amounts of snowfall... like literally 6 feet in hours. [As a side note, the pass was closed for the better part of a week which has not happened since 1995 and got more snow than it's gotten since 1974]. Also, on Wednesday a natural avalanche occured on this freeway. That has only occurred a couple of times in history. I only say this because I feel it's relevant to note that it was massive snowy. Bad.

So, Tim has class on Wednesday mornings. He was still over here in Seattle and going to drive back to CWU that morning. Not a big deal normally because it's only 1 1/2 hours, he has a 4 wheel drive truck and it goes smoothly.

That morning he got up, pass was closed. Ok. Called teacher and told him he would not be coming. Two hours later... pass is still closed and teacher calls Tim and tells him to "get his ass over her otherwise you will fail." His teacher tells him to take the northern route over the mountains which, although it's open, is known to be way more dangerous (as it is not a major freeway and is a smaller road) and it goes over two passes.

So Tim runs out the door in a panic. Who wouldn't? I mean you start thinking, shit, I'll be fine. I don't want to fail. I'm working my ass off and just to get screwed because my teacher thinks that I can't make it over the mountains? (Also note, another of his classmates was stuck in Seattle and was told the same thing and subsequently also went over the two-pass, more dangerous route).

Two hours after running out the door, Tim's truck is totaled on the back side of the first pass, destructed by three semi's who had taken this northern route since the main freeway pass was closed. He was like a pin ball between two semi's, who spun him around and then he was hit on his drivers side by a third.

I almost threw up when I saw the pictures.

He is ok, miraculously. All morning long, even before I knew what happened, I was sick. I didn't know why I was so worried but somehow the intuitive side of me kicked in and I just knew something was wrong. So many variables went wrong that day but also so many went right. There were so many, "If this had happened..." "If he had been driving a different car..." The outcome could, scarily, have been much different. To say he was very lucky is an understatement.

After processing all of this since last wednesday and coming to terms with the scariness of it all, I really believe that the lesson here is that people just need to slow down. Listen. Observe. Live. Let your intuition guide you. And if yours isn't strong enough, use the people you love for guidance as well. It is hard not to get wrapped up in the heat of the moment... the job, the test, material items, the plans for the future. But really what matters is that you do all of that while taking the time that you need to care for yourself and to let the people close to you know that you love them. And most importantly, do everything in your power to not jeopordize anything permanent for something that is just temporary.

So, to end like I began, the thing I hate about snow, have always hated about snow... is driving in it.