Talk of the Noun

Confucius say, “A single conversation across the table with a wise person is worth a month’s study of books.” It may not have been Confucius; but, it is a Chinese proverb. It’s funny how on-target proverbs can be. Even if the conversation is across the ‘net rather than a table.

There’s this friend with whom I text message and IM quite a bit. This is the type friend that you can talk to about anything and everything and nothing. Until the cows come home and even after that. The last time we were chatting online, we were discussing keeping loaded guns in your house. Somehow that led to a comment of calling me a Menshevik. Don’t ask; it’s too convoluted to try to explain.

I asked for, but did not receive, a definition of the word. “You’ll remember it better if you look it up.” Dammit. I felt like a school girl being chided by her teacher.

After googling Menshevik, I felt even sillier. I swear I had many a history class in college. My major was International Relations. I felt about this big [holding pointer finger and thumb about a millimeter apart]. In my defense, my area of interest was Western Europe with a concentration on England from the Angevins to the Tudors, *not* Russian and Soviet history. My love of 19th century Russian literature couldn’t help me either.

Having friends challenge you to be a better version of yourself is a great thing. Having friends that you can attempt an intellectual jab at in some future conversation is priceless.