Mac's three siblings went to see him at his home on 18 September 2020 instead of going for the traditional Friday morning walk.  He had just gotten out of the hospital, and was not up to a hike.  His son, Wesley, was there, and reported on his father's condition on a previous occasion as he was getting out of the hospital.  Wes said, "On my way there to get him, I took note of a road sign that warned, '6% grade for next 6 miles.'  I wondered out loud how many feet drop in elevation that would amount to.  Dad was groggy coming out of the hospital, but without any hesitation, he looked up and said, '1,200 feet.'"

In reporting this incident I shouldn't be quoted on the exact figures because I might have gotten them wrong, or perhaps Wes didn't remember them right; but whatever the figures were, you can be sure that, groggy or not, Mac nailed it.  He is an engineer with an engineer's mind, and loves working with figures.  All the formulas from his college days are still lodged in his head, and he's constantly working numerical problems out.

On a recent doctor or hospital visit he heard the doctor ask for "six atmospheres of pressure."  Mac asked, "How many milligrams of mercury is that?"

The doctor stopped what he was doing, and said, "You're not supposed to know anything about that--and I don't know!"

Mac then told him the answer.

My mind doesn't work like that.  I don't even know where to go to check the answers.

During this morning's conversation Tim used the word "esoteric" to describe Mac's way with numbers.  I stopped the talk at that point, and said, "You just used a word that I've never used in my life.  What does "esoteric" mean?"

"Strange," Tim said, with a bit of pride in his voice.  "It's a big word I learned at college.  I can't spell it, but I use it whenever I get the chance.  It's one of the only big words I know."

I looked the word up when I got home.  The definition of esoteric is, "Intended for or likely to be understood by only a small number of people with a specialized knowledge or interest."

I'd like to think that I'm a wordsmith.  I can spell "esoteric," but until today I had no idea what it meant.  Esoteric is a perfect word to describe Mac's engineer's mind.  He's on a different wavelength than me.

So is everyone else.  I've often said that it's a good thing that everyone in the world isn't like me, or this would be a very boring world.  Who would fix the car that doesn't run?  Who would build the bridges?  There are lots and lots of things that I know nothing about.  Maybe I could write about them if someone explained their intricacies to me, but to actually do them would require knowledge that I don't have.