Smart People

I was one of those geeky students. College was my heyday. Name a topic and you could probably find a class about it. It's a good thing my parents were adamant about the four-year plan or I would probably still be in college.

Some people are afraid of hiring or hanging out with smart people. I do not understand this, even a little bit.

I am surrounded (and sometimes overwhelmed) by smart people. I was raised by smart people who continue to advise me. I am married to an extremely smart man. Even when we disagree, I'm learning.

When I worked in the corporate world, my goal was to hire the smartest and most creative people. I may have trained them but they also taught me. Many have gone on to successful and lucrative careers.

Now that the baby has moved on to college, the occasional political/religious debates in this house are more interesting. His opinion comes from a completely different perspective and I pay attention.

My extended family is filled with talented and creative people. I do not hesitate to ask for their advice. My circle of friends includes opinionated, educated and warm-hearted people. The oldies are a wealth of information. Even when I'm frustrated, I get it that they have something to say. They're not dummies and their life experiences are history lessons living in my home.

I know some stupid people but not very many.

One of my favorite things to say is, "I don't understand that. Please explain it to me." My first father-in-law (one of the smartest people I know) is my "go to" person on a number of topics. He gives me books and magazines. He "dumbs it down" with complicated issues to help me understand. I'm not calling myself dumb; just acknowledging that really complicated things like the Middle East take me a while to comprehend. Plus, he doesn't push his opinions on me. He lets me figure out my own opinion.

I'm never afraid to say, "I don't understand." I'm terribly afraid of people who think they know it all and can't admit they don't get it.