THE BOOK

Recently on an emergency trip to California, being how I got last minutes seats, I was assigned middle seats. On a 6 hour flight, this can be uncomfortable and irritating, to say the least. Depending on your seat mates, you either get to know someone or never look them in the eye.

On this particular flight, I worked my way to the back of the plane where all the unimportant people sit and squeezed myself between a guy who looked like he was very unhappy and this charming lady who turns out has a very interesting life.

I took out my laptop to write and as I did she interrupted me, saying she apologized for reading over my shoulder, but that she agreed with me wholeheartedly in my subject matter. We talked and said she was sorry to have interrupted but now was going back to her book. After a while, I put the laptop away and took out my book: Alexander Hamilton, by Ron Chernow. The work is a rather massive tome about this incredible man with vision and foresight, who set up the banking system in this country and was a guiding hand by his eloquence and vision. He wasn't always right but he was always there on the cutting edge of creative government. It is a great read and if you don't like history or find it boring, I'd recommend this book because he takes on the humble beginnings of Hamilton as an impoverished child from the Caribbean and as the young aide to General George Washington, bringing in all the names that we see that populate the State of New York, like Livingston, Clinton (Not her) etc.

On my return flight, I sat once again in the middle, this time next to a young woman who was almost dressed. (She must have been in a real hurry) She mostly slept the whole way with her cell phone in her hand and would on occasion check her phone and go back to sleep.

A young man in his 40's plops next to me and sees me with my book.

"Ah! You're reading THE BOOK!" he says.

"How long ago did you start reading THAT?"

When you think of it, here is this young man in his maybe middle forties and here I am in my seventies and I'm the one reading "THE BOOK"!

Tell me: who has more time to read this book, him or me?