Fallen Tree, Late for Work…

This morning I was oblivious to road crews and one giant crane working to remove a tree blocking the only main road North out of Carmel.

Hours later, armed with hot coffee, I charged up Highway One, on my way to work. I drove about 500 feet before I stopped my car in this perfect storm of things gone wrong. Cars and trucks were at a dead stop as far as I could see. My cell phone didn’t work, often case in this area where electrical wires crisscross the highway. Five minutes became 15 with little movement. Forty-five minutes later I had managed to travel about 2,500 feet and without the ability to call anyone. I tried side roads to no avail—scores of other drivers were trying the same approach and no one was finding a way out.

A pedestrian with an easel asked the driver behind me if this traffic was typical for the area. I heard someone yell that a car show was to blame. My phone rang and, before I lost the connection, learned that fallen trees were the cause of the delay. On the pain scale of 1-10, the inconvenience of being late for work by an hour and 15 minutes doesn’t register. I’m lucky to have a job and a car in which to commute. No complaints here.

But what got me was the inability to use the cell phone. I’ve come to rely on it and that brings me to my big fear: what happens when technology fails? What if I couldn’t bank electronically, or email friends. Whoa! Too much caffeine!