B. U. G. S.

Antonio Fini is one of our commenters I remember meeting.

He thinks I’m great, and that never hurts.

But his birthday greeting got to me as no other did. He said:

“I have learned more from you than from any other person, male or female, living or dead.”

Someone can praise me to the skies and agree with me till the cows comes home, and I will love every word of it.

But Antonio’s words did not just make me feel good. They hit HOME.

I met Antonio.

He is one of those very calm types whose IQ and empathy is out of sight.

You know, the nice guy who doesn’t take himself seriously but doesn’t worry about it. He is smart and he knows it. He understands a lot that you will never understand and he knows it.

If you don’t realize that, that’s really not his problem.

When he met me, he didn’t need me to impress him.

That is a major obstacle when you reach my status. The few people who appreciate you expect you to live up to something.

I could tell Antonio asked no such thing.

I gave him something, and he is, as I said, one of those calm guys who knows who he is. Damned few people can tell him something important, and I had already done that.

I didn’t need to impress him.

That felt good.

Then came this note. I already knew that Antonio knew who he was.

This is, to say the least, not an effusive person.

He is the person who sends out exactly one note telling a person that he has taught them more than anyone else, male or female, living or dead.

If you don’t understand that, that is your problem.

I understand it.

It goes long way toward making all the pain, all the thought, all the loyalty worth while.