Being Neighborly and Brotherly

Being snowbound at home can be fun the first day or so, but then you start to get that urge to get out of the house and go do something; at least that's the way I get. I can't be at home all the time, I need to stretch my legs and do something out of the house. After being stuck in the house for two days, and I mean literally stuck, due to the ice and snow that had surrounded my car, and still seeing no sign of the snow plow that usually comes through our complex to clear the streets, I decided to at least dig my car out from the snow. Being so low to the ground, the car tends to get buried pretty easily, but luckily there wasn't all that much snow. The snow was a bad mix of powdery snow and sleet and freezing rain that had left a large glazed coating to everything, and digging through that wasn't all that great.

I managed to clear off the snow and dig out my parking spot at home so I decided that since the plow hadn't shown up yet that I was going to try making my way out to the main roads which are usually cleared up fairly quickly. I got out of the parking spot in fairly short order, but as I started attempting to drive down towards the entrance to the complex, gravity and ice decided to chime in and my car quickly became snow bound. Now the majority of people in DC, Maryland and Virginia panic at the first sign of snow; thankfully I am not part of that crowd. I have driven in snow storms much worse than this and I have at least some idea of what I need to do in order to get out of a situation like this. Unfortunately it isn't a one man operation.

There have been cases where I've been warm inside the house in past winters and seen someone stuck right outside my door, so I have gone out and helped to either dig them out or push them along. There was one winter several years back where after being stuck in the house for a week we had ventured out, and ended up pushing half a dozen cars on our way out of the neighborhood. As is stands, I have a lot of experience in pushing stuck cars and in helping stuck neighbors and drivers. But what amazes is me is that not everyone is inclined to help out a stranger. I had been struggling for about fifteen minutes with several others seeing my situation from afar and quickly disappearing into their homes when a neighbor from an adjacent building came out. I had already broken two shovels in my attempts to extricate myself. My neighbor Jim emerged from his home with another pair in his hand and a smile on his face.

Together we began digging a path for my car back to my parking space, which was a scant fifteen feet away. Soon thereafter, another neighbor from nearby also came out and joined us and soon the three of us had the car back in its spot. I offered these guys a drink or some refreshment for coming out and lending a hand and both were happy for the offer but declined. They were happy to have come out and help and were glad to see that things worked out fine. It made me realize that while there are always going to be people out there who don't care about anyone but themselves, there are still a good number out there who will come out to lend a hand without being asked or seeking anything in return. In similar situations I have tried to act the same way and I hope I continue to act the same way. Being neighborly isn't a difficult thing and it doesn't take up much time (in most cases) and it's a good thing to do.

Finally, after three days of being stuck within the confines of my house, my brother also drove out in my Dad's SUV and the two of us managed to clear out the pile of ice that the snow plow driver had so 'kindly' pushed in front of all our parking spaces. Compounded with the fact that it had now become a block of ice meant we spent another few hours of breaking and shoveling before moving it all out of the way. Being brotherly is also something that not all siblings are good at and it's something that I'm happy I have with my brother. It was good to have him there after so long. It was like before he moved out to California for school and I had moved to Virginia. We went out digging and shoveling; but rather than building a snow fort or igloo, we freed my car.