A pleasant, grown-up dinner conversation

Tonight my boss and I had dinner together at the restaurant in the hotel in which we're staying.  This is our fourth meal together for this trip, so that is a lot of conversation that's been navigated.  Sometimes it's so easy to talk to her that I have to remind myself that she is, indeed, my boss and that there are certain things I need to keep to myself.  Tonight, however, we have a really wonderful conversation as two writing professors, just talking about classroom experiences and techniques, sharing anecdotes and ideas.  It was really enjoyable and truly interesting.  It was personally interesting to see where my ideas on some things lay as compared to hers.  For the most part, we were very in sync about how to approach certain teaching issues and what we think certain professors don't do as well as they should.

I'm not sure I grew up imagining a rapport with a boss being like this.  I think I grew up looking at bosses on television or in comics and seeing them as people you tried to sneak things past, like a parent (and, in fact, many bosses do act as in loco parentis).  Thankfully my parents have had bosses along the way with whom they have had both pleasant and unpleasant relationships.  What it really comes down to is the person, just like any other relationship.  Is this someone you would like to talk to, regardless of your requirement to do so because they hired you?  If so, consider yourself lucky.  I certainly do; I may not always need to share a room with my boss, but I don't even like sharing a room with the hubby sometimes.  I'm just a space hog, so there.  But I do adore a good conversation.