I'm a lucky and blessed guy.

I have great respect for anyone that learns a second language. Or a third language. Multiple languages. I envy them. Because I'd like to speak a second language. But I won't. Because I think of myself as too old to master another tongue. Or too lazy. Or too stupid. I don't have the gumption or the mental prowess to make it happen. Oh, I'll learn rudimentary Italian. Enough to get by. But not enough to carry on a lively philosophical discussion. For that, I'll have to rely on my English and an Italian that can speak English. Such as my Italian true love. Maybe if I were 30 or 40 the circumstances would be different. I asked an English woman living in Italy how long it took her to learn to speak fluent Italian. And she said 10 to 12 years. I suspect that to learn another language it takes daring. And a willingness to make mistakes. And to sound like a fool. My true love is the daring sort. For which she wins my admiration. When she was 30 years younger, she ventured to England. To test her English. Not sure if she could make herself understood. She was scared. But she did it. And now she's teaching English to Italian teen-agers. She's even teaching me. More about English and English literature. She knows far more about Shakespeare than I. More about lots of things. I like that. She's not only daring. But very talented. And intelligent. And beautiful. My gawd, I'm a lucky and blessed guy. --Jim Broede