During the floods of 1989, a man was reluctant to leave his newly purchased farmhouse. Ignoring the call to evacuate, he instead filled bags from a sand pile on his lot as the water started to rise around his property.
Now this man had an odd quirk—he was unable to resist pouring over himself whatever water was at hand. He had learned to live with this compulsion by always wearing a waterproof jacket, by having drinks only out-of-doors, and by using a latrine rather than a proper toilet. Hence, as he slaved on his retaining wall, he would constantly reach over and scoop up some river, until his yard became slick with mud.
Soon it became evident that the river would overtake his lone efforts. He remembered a beat up old dinghy that the previous owner had left behind in the shed. Inspecting it, he thought, “It doesn’t look like much, but I think it’s my only shot at surviving!” No sooner had he launched himself from the high side of his sandbag barricade than the river came crashing through the other side, inundating the whole property to a depth of several feet.
Though the man felt a pang as his house was swallowed up, he eyed the distant shore with hope. “I am saved!” he cried, as he dropped his oars to splash himself with both hands…