The floor in the Bible Chair is decades old, thousands of 6-inch by 6-inch tiles, covered with layers of wax and (on occasion) buffed to a fine shine. I rarely notice the floor at all, but my schedule has slowed down considerably since the end of the semester. So, today I shall wax metaphorical (see what I did there?) and describe the universe of the tiles.

First of all, it’s sad how often we take the floor for granted. Through the years, this shiny expanse has carried the weight of many a man, woman and child; yet still it remains. The area around my desk is scuffed and stained from year...