My wife is the smartest person I know, and there isn't anything that is going to change that.

Nicole is a world-renowned scientist with two doctorates, and I only know two other people who have even one. Although I should include my friend Mick, who has a Th. D., the first to be awarded since the release of "The Wizard of Oz."

[caption id="attachment_1592" align="alignleft" width="199" caption="Christine Miller"]<a href="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/72713_1566395852264_1606450687_1274116_4087749_n.jpg"><img class="size-full wp-image-1592" title="72713_1566395852264_1606450687_1274116_4087749_n" src="http://mikerappaport.net/onevoice/wp-content/uploads/2012/03/72713_1566395852264_1606450687_1274116_4087749_n.jpg" alt="" width="199" height="267" /></a>[/caption]

That said, another one of my friends is moving up the list fast and could find herself in second place before long. Christine Worth Miller was a good friend of mine for about two years during the Nixon Administration, but we lost touch and had almost no contact again until the last year or so on Facebook.

She lives in Florida now, and recently ended a relationship that had lasted nearly two-thirds of her life. Since Chris is an early Baby Boomer -- a few years younger than I am -- she has begun to think about how retirement will work. Or won't work, as the case may be.

Our generation is the one stuck in between when it comes to retirement. Our parents' generation generally had pensions, and our children started putting money into 401(k) accounts and Roth IRAs as soon as they got out of school and started working.

I never had the opportunity to contribute to a retirement account at work until I was past my 40th birthday, and if it weren't for my wife, I would either be looking for a job or living in genteel poverty on Social Security. I am truly blessed.

But other friends nearing retirement age either don't have enough saved, still have large mortgages or don't own homes at all. And money isn't even the only problem. I've been reading the wonderful book, <a title="The Art of Happiness" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Art_of_Happiness">"The Art of Happiness," </a>by His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and one of the most interesting parts to me was his emphasis on personal relationships as important to happiness.

Chris's idea, which fascinated me, was that people who had been her friends for many years, some of whom didn't have significant others or the money to live well on their own, might benefit from a sort of communal living. For example, four friends might be quite happy sharing a four-bedroom house. Each would have their own bedroom and they would share some of the bathroom facilities and the rest of the house.

Maybe the best thing about her idea is that the worst part of getting old is almost without question being alone. To not only have friends to share your days, but for those friends to be people who share the fond memories of your youth, truly sounds wonderful. It reminds me of the Harry Chapin song,<a title="Let Time Go Lightly" href="http://www.metrolyrics.com/let-time-go-lightly-lyrics-harry-chapin.html"> "Let Time Go Lightly:"</a>

<em>"Old friends, they mean much more to me than the new friends, Cause they can see where you are,and they know where you've been."</em>

I think my friend may just be brilliant.