A Driving Blizzard

It never snows in movies.

We all know that rain means emotional upheaval. And the more, the less merrier.

But what is a blizzard?

That you are driving in.

And you're doing fine, but then traffic slows. To a crawl. And you realize traffic is backed up behind the fleet of snow plows laying salt and there are nothing but cars ahead of you. And now behind you.

And ever since Chinese Democracy came out, you can't stop listening to everything in your Guns 'N Roses catalogue.

Soon you have to piss so bad your teeth hurt. And you fill the same water bottle you just drank.

Comfortable but now antsy, you see a guy in a large pickup truck with four rear tires peal off for the exit ramp. The urge to do something is too strong.

You follow him. Did the snow let up? You tell yourself it did.

Besides you remember these roads from school. You know where you are, or at least generally where you are headed.

But then your guide pulls into his own driveway. His Christmas tree is on in the window.

And just like that, you're on your own.

But you trust your vehicle and you are trying to take it slow. But you just hit another dead end. And the fear creeps in that you might get yourself completely lost.

Idling at a fork in the road, you look left and then right. Back the way you came or down another dim path?

Axl is getting to the crescendo in "Estranged" and you jump into the river again taking the dim, new path.

It is exhilarating.

Guess you'll have to make it home. Out here on your own. Drifting all alone.

A mile later the road gets narrower and steeper and icier. Meanwhile Axl is now singing You could be mine. But you're way. out. of. line.

Suddenly the fear snatches you. What felt right a moment ago has just humbled you. You turn around.

You're getting low on gas. Its getting late. You could be out here all night. In a blizzard. And face it, you are lost. Maybe if you had GPS.

You turn around. And gas up. Before getting back in line on the highway.

You tell yourself the only thing lost was time.

The snow accumulates into massive drifts at the state line.

Janis Joplin sings on public radio, fading in and out with the hills and valleys.

And the next day you come to find out Axl Rose considered Janis Joplin the major influence on his singing style. And on Google Earth you realize you were right for turning around when you did... but closer than you thought to breaking through.