Uncle Tom's Cabin

Yesterday, in a fit of productivity, I ran around Omaha doing all my pre-lake errands.  One of the stops was the County Treasurer's Office.  I was dispatched to pick up new plates for our car.  Of course, silly me, I didn't give a thought to the fact that it was the last day of the month and the day before a long holiday weekend. The line that greeted me was daunting to say the least.

I gritted my teeth and took my place, feeling my blood pressure rise as I was sandwiched between conversations and perfumes that held no appeal for me.  Then I remembered my phone has an ap called 3D Classic Lit.  It was free and I downloaded it on a whim.  I'm pretty much a book person.  I like the feel of a book in my hands but in a pinch, any medium will do.  I read a review last Sunday in the New York Times  of "Mighter Than The Sword",  a book about Harriet Beecher Stowe and the influence of "Uncle Tom's Cabin".  It struck me at the time that I had never read that book.

Right there in line I pulled it up on my phone and for the next 50 minutes, I read "Uncle Tom's Cabin."  It was amazing.  I barely looked up.  I just shuffled along with the crowd, tuning out all the noise and chaos of the room.  I may get the actual book at the library to finish but in that moment, I was saved by the electronic version.

I guess the moral is that you should always carry something to read.  A friend once told me she keeps a copy of "Pride and Prejudice" in her car for emergencies.  That works too.  I still like paper best but words are words. They rescue me from uncomfortable places.