I brought my wife coffee in bed this morning and sat on the side of the bed as she lay there drinking it. I told her about my day Monday and she told me about a very interesting book she's reading by the Dalai Lama on Destructive Emotions.

While she was talking to me, I was looking intently at her face. She took such great pleasure in listening to me and telling me her news. I suddenly was able to equate her pleasure with the pleasure I take in posting and being responded to here on PC. Which for me is distinct and unique, not something I feel IRL.

We've only been married 42 years. And this was the FIRST time I'd realized she really LIKES having me to talk with. It makes her feel good. I had never, ever related to that before. It's never occurred to me. Imagine it never occurring to me!

What's going on? Well, I thought about my family. Particularly my parents. I don't think I ever had a conversation with either of them where either of us took pleasure in really engaging in communication. Is the pleasure that of simply being heard? Of being understood? Of getting "in touch?"

I have previously considered all IRL conversations as painful tasks to be completed and broken off as soon as possible. There was, for me, simply no positive side to human intercommunication. But now I know why people like it as much as they do by comparing it to PC, where we're not in physical proximity to the people we're talking/writing to.

Very strange!