As I get older, I appreciate more the truth that the best things in life aren’t things. One thing that brings me joy is not a thing. Instead, it is the connection between minds or hearts in interpersonal interaction, whether in person or in writing.

This sort of connection can let one or both of us see something in a new way. This is distinct from simply winning an argument. I enjoy sharing a perspective that someone has not considered before and watching the light bulb go on over that person’s head. I enjoy it when someone can do the same for me.

This sort of connection can also provide a perspective that gives form to something of which one or both of us have previously had only a vague idea. For example, an author’s words may crystallize in my mind something of which I previously had a vague sense. Readers of my writings have told me that I have had the same effect on them.

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