I was perusing my local bookstore recently when I came upon a sign that said "these books are free - take one!" Not one to turn down a free book or for that matter, a free pretty-much-anything, I looked at the book in question. It was a book called "The Path to Enlightenment" written by the Dalai Lama. I did take an enjoyable class in Eastern Philosophy in college so this book was of some interest to me as opposed to say, a book about the intracacies of nuclear and quantum physics or perhaps one entitled, "How to Cook Sheep Eyeballs in Six Easy Steps".

Not convinced that it wasn't some sort of trick or practical joke, I picked up a book (the last one left on the display table, I might add) and brought it to an employee. "Are these really free??" I asked. He assured me that they were and that the bookstore had been asked to give them out free of charge. I had never heard of such a thing. After all, this wasn't a brochure or a pamphlet, it was an actual book with multiple chapters. Sure enough, on the back, where you normally find a book's price, was written in small print, "for free distribution". Wow. Smart marketing right there.

Gleeful at obtaining a semi-interesting book for free, and feeling somewhat rebellious, I clutched my copy in hand and hurried out of the store without a visit to the cash register. At home later, I began my foray into the study of buddhism and found the book...well... extremely difficult to understand.

But, you know, the important thing here is that it was free. In fact, I'm just now getting a great idea of what I can give all of my friends and family members for Christmas!! Hmmm... I wonder how many times I can return to the bookstore for a free book?  ¶ 4:43 PM