Snow Days.

Of all the times I'm grateful to be a born + raised Michigander, it'd have to be in this season; when the roads are full of ice, and the snow sloshes around winter-tires. It's not because I love the snow. On the contrary, I'm desperate for open windows and spring breezes and sun rays that stir my soul. BUT, I am grateful to be born here.

I was driving home the other night, and a on-coming van swerved into my lane, did a 360 degree spin, and then veered back into his lane and onto the side of the road. Whenever such things occur (like deer on the side of the road during autumn), my heart stops. Literally, it stops. Then speeds up. And my body aches as if all my muscles prepared for a crash. And I don't know if he wasn't sure how much his van could handle on the icy roads (some people are just so ignorant when it comes to those matters) or if it really was out of his control.

But I am grateful that when I was 16, I was learning how to drive with snow. When I first took my car out in the winter, my dad had me drive into a snow drift just so I could figure out how to back out of it. I am grateful because I'm prepared to drive on these roads that cause multiple accidents daily.

I am grateful to be Michigan-born because I know my car. I know how my car handles during this precarious season. I know the stiffening of my steering wheel when I hit a patch of fresh snow. I know the sound of my tires when I hit ice. I know how soon I must hit the brakes in order to stop on time. I know this season. And I'd venture to say, that you other Michigan-born drivers do as well.

And so when I hear of schools closing in other states because of two inches of snow, I chuckle to myself. Two inches isn't enough to even notice here. Two FEET maybe, but never two inches. And even then, we Michigan-born put on our boots, shovel off our cars, and head to work. Because let's just be honest; this lucky talent we were raised to cultivate makes us a feel a little superior with all things motorized. Okay,...maybe a lot superior.