On adding traction to your truck and getting unstuck
Forward motion is worth the weight
I don’t have anything to say.
All I’ve been doing lately is trying to keep my head above water.
No riding.
No surfing.
Nothing.
Just work.
And darkness - lots of darkness.
Despite this?
I’ve spent the last hour sifting through notes, looking for ideas, looking for something of value to share with you.
And ya know what, dear reader?
Today, I’ve got nothing.
The ground is frozen and there’s snow everywhere.
And me?
I’m frozen too.
I’ve a huge list of should dos, would dos and could dos and today they all add up to a don’t.
Recently I was out in my truck. I got stuck in a snowbank.
I tried switching into reverse with the hopes that I could drag my arse outta the snow.
That didn’t work.
I tried plowing forward.
That didn’t work either.
Then I tried rocking the truck from drive to reverse in the hopes that somehow I’d get some traction.
That didn’t help either.
It was a cold day. I really didn’t want to leave the warmth of the cab. I REALLY didn’t want to stand in knee deep snow and get wet and uncomfortable feet.
And?
Unless I did, I was going to just sit there in my truck waiting for…
For what?
No one was coming to help me.
If I stayed there long enough, a plow would go by and make everything worse by piling up snow all around me.
So I got out of the truck and started digging.
I was screwed.
No shovel.
No gloves.
With just an ice scraper and a stubborn streak, I got down to the icy business of moving snow.
Multiple times I climbed back into the cab to free myself.
Multiple times my wheels just spun.
Then, I saw it - there was a pile of moderately large rocks poking out from the snow just down the road from me.
One by one I loaded six of them into the back of the truck placing each over the rear axel.
Heavy, awkward, absurd.
It took me about as long as it did for me to write this post.
Once I had moved a hundred or so pounds of stone, I hopped back into the cab and tried again. For a brief instant, my wheels spun before biting into the pavement below.
My big red beauty began to move and I pulled away.
When things are dark and you’re stuck, don’t wait for help.
Start digging.
If that doesn’t work?
Add weight.
Everyone says lighten up, let it go.
Sometimes the answer is to take on more.
Not just any ‘more’, but the right kind of more - heavy cold stones that will give you grip.
Increase the friction and effort required for yourself.
Maybe then you’ll have the traction you need to keep moving.
And remember dear reader?
The only rescue coming is the one staring back at you in the mirror.
Stay mighty you fools!