On Mondays I have a lecture surrounding the techniques to use with emotionally/behaviorally disturbed children. Yesterday my professor, Dr. Marlowe, said that we all have charisma. That word doesn't come up very often in everyday speech but when I do hear it I'm flooded with childhood memories. My sister and I would spend a lot of time at our grandparents' house in Winston-Salem because my parents are educators and my dad was still in doctoral school at the time. I can remember only being about five years old and "helping" my grandma in the nursery at her church on Sunday mornings. There was another man named Jerry that stayed in the nursery with Grandma. I thought Jerry was the greatest. He would always tell me I had charisma in a voice that sounded like he worked in radio. I didn't know what that word meant but I thought it sounded important, upscale, posh. Charisma is defined as "a divinely conferred power or talent." It can also be a "compelling charm or attractiveness that inspires devotion in others" which is exactly how dictators and cult leaders are described. I loved having "charisma." Also Jerry called me Madisen Mayodan which was another word I didn't understand whatsoever. It actually wasn't a couple months ago that I saw the sign for the town of Mayodan as I was driving back from Virginia. I now assume that Jerry must have lived there before he lived in Winston-Salem. Now when someone says I'm charismatic I just look at them in disbelief and shake my head. Charisma seems like such an elusive praise that I couldn't possibly live up to.