It's all relative

You think you're smart, until you meet someone who's intelligent. You think you're good, until you meet someone who's better. You think you're all that until you meet the bag of chips.

I've met my bag of chips.

How you react to that tells you and everyone who's paying attention a lot about you as a person. For me, honestly, it's been a long time since I've been intimidated by anyone I've met. Usually I'm secure in the knowledge of who I am, the work I do, and the intelligence I have at my command. However, Mr. Chips has shaken that foundation a bit.

I know a little about a lot of things, and how to learn more. One of the things I've always felt I knew a lot about was music. But his knowledge rivals anyone I've ever met. Not only does he have the talent to create music, but the brainpower to dissect that music into the math behind its components and use that knowledge to create more music. I find that mesmerizing.

I have a friend whose ex always said she didn't think she could marry him because she wasn't smart enough to be a professor's wife. I never understood that sentiment - after all, it's the professor who gets paid to teach and carry out research and scholarly discourse. Now, for the first time, I feel a tad bit of empathy. I don't know if I'll ever feel quite right offering up an opinion on music around Mr. Chips, out of respect for his abilities, but I can't wait to hear what he does next.