The Compliment

I know what the vast majority of those in my universe are thinking: "can't this guy please just shut up, at least every now and then. He has a thought about anything and everything. Enough is too much."

And quite honestly I agree with them. This little experiment in thought of mine stopped being interesting about the time of the Yankees last World Series win (2009, for the one or two of you who didn't have that fact deeply ingrained).

But every once in a while I am surprised by a stray thought of another that finds its way to me: a kind assessment of my fortitude, of my capacity, of the means to my endless end. And a few days ago, I received maybe the highest praise I have ever garnered.

A quite brilliant friend of mine is writing a book, at least his eighth I believe. He is a poet, accomplished in his field. Well regarded, well respected. With but one known failing: he is a more than occasional reader of my words.

In fact, he was the catalyst for my brief dalliance with putting some of my writing in coherent enough form to constitute a rough approximation of a book. But my lack of stamina for this project and my perception that my eventual audience could fit in a phone booth (if such a thing still exists) with room to spare led to my tabling, in actuality, abandoning this pretense.

But, astonishingly, what my learned friend took from what I have done through the years, was that there is a natural synergy between the personal and political thoughts. That one feeds off the other.

And so, the contour of his latest undertaking is borrowing from that premise. And I am responsible, in the smallest of ways, for this occurrence.

That was the compliment I received. A statement that my efforts, in shape at least, did have meaning. That what I had done, in examining both my personal and the political universe in (excruciating) depth, was of some consequence. That it did have at least a small impact on a person of intellectual substance.

I don't know if I will keep up doing what I am doing for one more day, one more week or forever (and a day). But I do know that receiving words of recognition from a person whose opinion I value certainly has, for the moment, put a little bigger bounce in my step.