On no longer looking up words

Since I learned to read I always looked up words I don't know.

I believe that habit played no small part in my score on the English part of the SAT.

I continued that habit through college, med school, my professional life as an anesthesiologist and expert medical-legal analyst, and afterward — until about two years ago.

Out of the blue, one day, when I encountered a word I didn't recognize in whatever I was reading and reached for my computer or phone to look it up, I said to myself, "Why bother?"

I thought I'd earned the right by now to let the unknown remain unknown, and so I have ever since that epiphany.

I suspect everyone reaches that point, just at different points in their lives: I'm sure many people have never looked up a word if they didn't have to for school or work or whatever.

It is a distinct tiny pleasure each time I hesitate, think, then read on.

One more thing: at this point in my life it's unlikely I'll ever encounter the same unknown word a second time, if it took this long for the initial sighting.