Last winter, I told you that Wisconsin Winter Builds Character because…

1. You will fall down
2. You will have accidents
3. You will get stuck
4. You will rearrange your plans

The four inalienable truths discovered during the 2010 – 2011 winter season were about self-reliance and staying positive within a typically stressful situation. Three weeks ago, the 2012 winter season came back with a vengeance and wasted no time chalking up truth number five.

After work, I was excited to head home for an evening filled with no activities or obligations. I clicked the button to unlock my car and pulled the door handle. The door did not open. I laughed at my lack of effort and tried again. Nothing. Realizing that I could stick my key directly into the door lock took an embarrassing amount of time. Still, nothing.

My immediate coping mechanism for an unplanned event is a healthy amount of tears. They trickled down my frozen cheeks because I just wanted to go home to let my puppy outside, because snow was creeping into my brown ballet flats, and because I had no idea what to do. After I let go of what I wished was or was not happening, I began my thorough investigation of what-the-hell-is-going-on.

I heard a voice say “Do you need some help?”

She searched through her car for lock de-icer. She called her husband for advice. She drove me to ACE Hardware where I purchased three kinds of de-icer and to a car shop. An employee from the shop climbed in my trunk. He shook the doors. He got out his mini flashlight like guys at car shops do. He heated up my car key with a lighter and got my driver’s door open!

This winter, you will have help. When your butt lands on that icy pavement, someone will ask if you’re okay.  When you get stuck, someone will be there to help you get unstuck or remind you why you’re stuck in the first place. Wisconsin Winter Weather builds your personal character just as much as it builds communities. The season reminds us that we are all under the same clouds, experiencing the same temperature, precipitation and wind.  You will have help because he/she remembers when his/her car locks froze last winter too.