- 0
- 0
There are people in the world who carry an aura about them. It has nothing to do with looks, posture, or the ability to command a room. No, it’s that elusive je ne sais quoi—that certain something that quietly radiates warmth, intelligence, and unmistakable humanity. You don’t just notice these people; you feel steadier in their presence, as if the emotional furniture of the room has been thoughtfully rearranged for comfort.
Imagine my surprise when I encountered just such a person sitting in a corner booth at a local Panera.
He was dressed simply: casual clothes, but the Irish flat cap set at a jaunty angle made him a standout in the mundane environment of a chain restaurant. It suggested both scholarship and mild mischief. An octogenarian former professor, he greeted me with a warm smile, a firm, kind handshake, and the sort of direct eye contact that makes you feel instantly seen rather than politely observed. It is not too much to say that in that first moment, I felt I had stepped into the orbit of someone quietly extraordinary.
What I could not have known then was that this brief introduction would unfold into a decade plus-long friendship. It is one that traveled far beyond the tidy boundaries of our initial author-publisher connection. Over the years, he has been mentor, sounding board, cheerleader, gentle corrector of facts, and occasional deliverer of the perfectly timed raised eyebrow. (An underrated academic art form.)
He arrived in my life at a season when I believed most of my learning days were behind me. Curiosity had begun to settle into comfortable grooves and I assumed the major expansions of mind and spirit were largely complete. He proved me gloriously wrong. Through conversation, example, and the steady grace of his intellect, he reopened doors I hadn’t even realized I had closed. He reminded me that growth does not belong only to the young; it belongs to the willing.
I sometimes think of that old song, “To Sir, With Love.” It feels almost embarrassingly earnest to borrow the sentiment, and yet no truer phrase has presented itself. How do you thank someone who has brought light, learning, and laughter into your life long after you assumed such gifts were mostly in the rearview mirror? How do you tell a person that their very existence has shifted the world, certainly your small corner of it, in ways both subtle and profound?
I am still searching for adequate words. Perhaps there aren’t any grand enough. So, I offer the simple truth instead: knowing him has enlarged my life. His friendship has been a steady lamp along my path during the past decade, and my gratitude—for his wisdom, his kindness, and his unwavering belief in the value of thought and curiosity—knows no bounds.
And yes, if Panera ever installs a commemorative plaque on that corner booth, I will personally see that his flat cap gets honorable mention.