Clear air

I am always humbled when I spend time with my linguist friend from the Graduate Institute of Linguistics in Duncanville. His presence always lets me know how good life is for me. He recently came back from a stint in Nigeria. His stories make me glad I'm alive and not being threatened and my worst days are good by comparison to life in a third world country. He is home permanently now because of medical conditions he developed while in Nigeria.  That's the second linguist friend that has been docked stateside because of illness from a third world country. The other happened about 13 years ago, and he had been in Ethiopia.

Most of all, visiting with them reminds me how they have used their talents in the field and not wasted their training. Both are now still employing their talents, but in teaching others who are headed to the field. That is admirable on both counts. A conversation with either of them shows me how sharp their minds are, how developed their talents are, and what standard I must maintain in order to keep having conversations with them.  And how I love holding conversations with them.

My most recent conversation, last Wednesday, brought a great discussion about an ancient language.  I was reminded of how that language functioned so differently from English. We bantered about translation of that ancient tongue on a few points, and I applauded his most recent conference presentation presenting his discourse analysis of a reading from this language.  I came away from the meeting feeling good about contributing something, and feeling better from having been contributed to.

I felt that way a couple of weeks ago as well when another friend came to visit. We spent the day together just talking. We ended on a great note by attending a professional baseball game.  Our discussions were not linguistic in nature, instead they were conversations that fed my soul because we fully understand what the other is about.  He also inspires me to be better because we talk about matters of the mind and soul.  Our thinking is often the same even though we arrive at  the same conclusions in very different ways and apply them differently in our outward lives. But we get each other.

I love being around compatibility.  It's the same as breathing fresh air.  Very often the air around me gets stale. Being around compatible friends help clear the air.