The conversation went something like this:
My brilliant friend, Nancy Ganz: “Kathy, you are so smart.”

Me (stunned): “Huh? Why on earth do you say that?” (Compared to Nancy, I couldn’t think my way out of a paper bag.)
Nancy: “Because in a group conversation, you always have something relevant or witty to chime in with.”

Me: “Nancy, are you kidding? Okay, so I can ping-pong a fairly rapid babble, but you! Every time you open your mouth, perfect pearls of wisdom come flowing out, and when you’re done, you can actually stop.”
Nancy: “Yes, but until I have a thought completely formed in my head, I can’t seem to get anything out. People think I’m shy in groups. I’m not shy… I’m just slow! By the time I have something ready to say, they’ve already switched topics and moved on.”

Me: “Wow. I, on the other hand, rarely know what I think about anything until I’ve heard myself talk about it. People think I’m gregarious, but I just have an external thought-processing loop. You have an internal one.”
Nancy: “Maybe neither one of us is all that smart. Maybe we’re just on the extreme opposite ends of the spectrum of how people think.”

I thought that was pretty clever of her.

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