More Than One-Dimensional

Trey Smith

As we worked to line-up appointments for possible room shares for Della, we zeroed in on one that is in Odell, Oregon. By looking at a typical highway map, it appeared that Odell would be an easy trip to White Salmon. Located only 6 miles south of Hood River, Della would take Highway 35 to the Hood River Bridge and, once across, it would only be a few more minutes before she arrived at her program site.

But, as it so often happens in life, our one-dimensional analysis collided head-on with a three-dimensional reality!

You see, while Odell indeed is only 6 miles south of Hood River, it is straight up. It is on one of the highways that leads to the ski areas of Mount Hood. Odell itself is in a valley, but the road between it and Hood River climbs several hundred feet in elevation. When the weather is nice, traversing Highway 35 would not be an issue, but in inclement weather, it would be very dicey, particularly in a small two-wheel drive car.

For us, this situation is emblematic of a problem that most people face at one time or another. We base our decisions on scant information -- often information that seems to agree with the direction we want to go anyway -- and we are stunned when reality slaps us in the face. It is the problem of superficiality versus depth or, as the old adage goes, ya can't judge a book by its cover!