Irony

My guess that the first time I actually named irony was when I read, and someone helped me understand, "The Gift of the Magi" by O. Henry. If you remember, the young married couple had no money, but wanted so much to give each other a meaningful gift at Christmas.

She had beautiful hair that reached below her knees, so he bought her a set of combs that she coveted. She, ironically, had sold her hair to buy him a platinum chain for the heirloom watch he carried. (Now you remember?) He had sold the watch to buy the combs.

We hear this word misused a lot, but I came upon a true irony recently as I was reflecting on my enjoyment of symphonic music. I decided to track down Tom Lewis, the immensely talented conductor of the Sioux City orchestra who had introduced me to so many of the pieces I enjoy so much. He now lives in North Carolina, but has retired from conducting--you see, he is nearly deaf.

How ironic.