It was Kindergarten when I first started to think that I might have been a little smarter than everyone else.
The music teacher struck a triangle and asked us to raise our hands when it stopped ringing. Everyone raised their hands within the first 5 seconds. I didn’t. I waited until the chime's resonation softened and ended. The teacher told me good job and moved on. This isn't major to most but I was bubbling up with pride because I was the only one who got it right. The notion that I might be more clever than those around me persisted and became central to my identity for a long time.