Some thoughts on...

Cleverness

1. mentally bright; having sharp or quick intelligence; able.
2. superficially skillful, witty, or original in character or construction; facile
3. showing inventiveness or originality; ingenious
4. adroit with the hands or body; dexterous or nimble.
clev⋅er⋅ish, adjective
clev⋅er⋅ish⋅ly, adverb
clev⋅er⋅ly, adverb
clev⋅er⋅ness, noun
Synonyms:1. ingenious, talented, quick-witted; smart, gifted; apt, expert. skillful, agile, handy.
Antonyms:1. stupid. 4. clumsy.

I woke up early this morning to get back to reading a most clever book (and I didn't go to Curves to exercise since my exercising partner is out of town, oopsie.) Then it dawned on me. I absolutely love cleverness. I can't get enough of it. I adore it. I look for it in people, places and things. I love to soak in it up to my eyeballs. But it's so hard to find. I'm on the outlook for it constantly and I'm so pleased when I find it. Like this book. What a delightful surprise. It's so clever!
Here are some of my observations concerning cleverness:

• Not everyone is clever (This point is not so obvious. Some who think they are, aren't and some who think they aren't, are.)
• Not everything is clever (obviously)
• You can't force it if you don't have it
• A person generally either has it or they don't, or they can be clever in some things but not so much in others
• It often involves subtlety and nuance and sometimes sarcasm
• Things are created that are ingenious, different and new. Give two people the same raw products and the clever person will create something amazing out of nothing.
• I personally value clever speech, writing and thinking the most of all.
• It takes humor to a new level, a higher level

A clever person usually has had some life experience and they can see irony in things. They don't see the world in black and white and they can enjoy all the glorious shades of grey that lie in between the two extremes. Their expression of those ironies in writing or speaking is usually laced with clever statements and observations. They are beyond funny, they are clever in how they express themselves. I admire clever people. It's a gift to be clever and I celebrate and congratulate those who are. Come sit by me, I'd love to listen to your observations!

This book has all the elements I adore in a book: an interesting story, a historical story where you learn something about a time and place in the past, a strong and CLEVER heroine, interesting twists and turns, extremely well written, a CLEVER and happy ending.

Did I say it was a clever book? Well it is. (Let me know if you want to borrow mine.) Oh, and as a side note, I wish a certain clever writer would post more often to her blog! I miss reading her observations...