Furthermore: Where the Headlines Take You

High Water

As you have no doubt heard or even seen, the Columbia, the Willamette, and many other northwest rivers are very full right now. The Willamette is high, but the Columbia at Vancouver is actually over flood stage. Fortunately, the actual flooding at Vancouver has been slight so far, and little damage is anticipated by forecasters. Floods are awful, dangerous, messy things, and I've been fortunate never to have experienced one personally – but I will admit that growing up, I found floods completely fascinating and always wished we'd have one in Portland. I think the two books below may have helped fuel my early romantic ideas about floods:

First, I blame Tove Jansson, author of the eminently satisfying Moomin series (a childhood favorite of mine). In her wonderful book Moominsummer Madness, the Moomin family are flooded out of their house as a wave sweeps through their valley. But luckily, a new house comes floating by right at their moment of need! Everyone clambers aboard and great relief is felt. However, the house turns out not to be a house at all, but a theater, already occupied by a theater-lover named Emma – and many high jinks ensue as the collection of flood refugees explore floats down the valley, and eventually stages a play written by Emma and Moominpapa.

When I was a little older, I got a second hit of flood-fascination from another novel, Marilynne Robinson's Housekeeping. It's a complex coming-of-age story about Ruthie and Lucille, two sisters who are raised by a grandmother, two great-aunts, and eventually, their very eccentric aunt Sylvie. I couldn't begin to summarize the whole plot here, but, here's the important part for our subject today: the flood. Although the family home is in a town that is frequently plagued by floods, it is built high up usually stays dry. But one year, the flood waters rise so high that the house does flood, and the family's response is magical! When the water has just begun to invade the first floor of their house, Ruthie and Sylvie dance around in flood water up to their knees.  When it rises higher they retreat to the second floor, and use a fishing line to rescue inundated objects from downstairs.  Throughout their ordeal, they enjoy the unusual situation rather than worrying about the mess, the damage, and the discomfort.

A common thread in these books is that their characters try earnestly to look at life's challenges with whimsy and optimism, and to find joy wherever they can. I doubt this approach alone would carry me through the challenge of a real-life flood, but I hope that if high water ever reaches me, I'll remember to laugh a little, if I can.