Once I was in bed with a very smart and beautiful woman who called me ’the most intelligent man I’ve ever met’.

True story!

She’s now married to some other dude.

(Yeah, so much for sapiosexuality, I guess.)

I was just reflecting on that.

What does it mean, intelligence?

What does it refer to?

If it’s about IQ tests I can tell you she was waaaaay off, because I’ve never successfully finished one.

According to the Oxford dictionary, intelligence is ‘…the ability to acquire and apply knowledge and skills’.

But what kind of knowledge?

Any particular skills?

I’m extremely slow at picking up things.

There’s only a handful of activities I’m good at.

And when it comes to facts, I might be the worst memorizer in the history of humans, and dolphins.

What I DO have going for me, at least, is a very creative and productive mind.

I know how to express myself quite well.

I have the ability to use words for painting stories.

And I have a knack for talking about really abstract stuff, and making it as simple and tangible as possible.

My imagination is crisp and sharp.

That’s about it.

So maybe you could say I’m bright.

Maybe that’s what she meant.

Or maybe she was just flattering me.

I guess I can be pretty naïve too.

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(Photo by @emmages, for Unsplash)