Many years ago, a couple bought an old, Victorian boarding home in a small town in Missouri. They were an intelligent couple, priding themselves on their talents and intellect. She had been valedictorian of her class, he had been a teacher of mathematics for many years.
The old home was beautiful--three stories of clapboard siding with contrasting gingerbread details and an inviting, wrap-around porch. It was an old-fashioned operation with real boarders, much like one might find in a James Joyce novel.
The woman served delicious, home-cooked meals in the beautiful, wood-trimmed dining room while the man took care of the upkeep on the house and grounds.
One afternoon, the man discovered repairs were needed outside one of the third story windows. Finding he had no ladder that would reach the area needing work, he devised a plan. He would take a plank and put it through the window. He asked the woman to balance the plank by sitting on the other end, allowing him to stand outside the window and perform the repairs.
They placed the plank in the window and together they carefully adjusted the balance. Not wanting to waste precious time, the woman brought her knitting with her and as her husband perched precariously outside the window, three stories above the ground, the woman's knitting needles moved quickly, putting the time to good use.
As the woman knitted and the man repaired, they visited through the open window. Unexpectedly, the doorbell rang. Without a thought, the woman stood to go answer the door, but stopped almost immediately as she heard her name fade into the distance. "She-e-e-r-r-r-e-e-e-l-l-l," her husband called as he fell through the air, landing on his back, on the ground, three stories down.
Thankfully the man's guardian angels were on duty and the man was unharmed, though both were shaken by the terrifying event. The experience now provides their family with a good laugh. I know because the man and woman are my uncle and aunt.
The moral of this story? No matter how smart you are, if you aren't careful, you might still do something stupid. Do you have an example of smart people doing a stupid thing? Won't you share it with us?
The old home was beautiful--three stories of clapboard siding with contrasting gingerbread details and an inviting, wrap-around porch. It was an old-fashioned operation with real boarders, much like one might find in a James Joyce novel.
The woman served delicious, home-cooked meals in the beautiful, wood-trimmed dining room while the man took care of the upkeep on the house and grounds.
One afternoon, the man discovered repairs were needed outside one of the third story windows. Finding he had no ladder that would reach the area needing work, he devised a plan. He would take a plank and put it through the window. He asked the woman to balance the plank by sitting on the other end, allowing him to stand outside the window and perform the repairs.
They placed the plank in the window and together they carefully adjusted the balance. Not wanting to waste precious time, the woman brought her knitting with her and as her husband perched precariously outside the window, three stories above the ground, the woman's knitting needles moved quickly, putting the time to good use.
As the woman knitted and the man repaired, they visited through the open window. Unexpectedly, the doorbell rang. Without a thought, the woman stood to go answer the door, but stopped almost immediately as she heard her name fade into the distance. "She-e-e-r-r-r-e-e-e-l-l-l," her husband called as he fell through the air, landing on his back, on the ground, three stories down.
Thankfully the man's guardian angels were on duty and the man was unharmed, though both were shaken by the terrifying event. The experience now provides their family with a good laugh. I know because the man and woman are my uncle and aunt.
The moral of this story? No matter how smart you are, if you aren't careful, you might still do something stupid. Do you have an example of smart people doing a stupid thing? Won't you share it with us?
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