edia comes at us pretty fast these days. Where people in the “old days” (such as the 40s) might have a newspaper, the radio, and billboards, now we have full internet streaming, pop ups, on-demand movies and TV, all through our phones (well, your phones. I don’t do that).

It’s understandable that we can get behind.

I was that way with my Model Railroader magazines. I had about 6-8 of them sitting beside my bed still in their wrappers. It wasn’t that I didn’t want to read them. No, I did. But I just didn’t have time. Between the stars, the rails, game typing, book writing, trips, my clubs and my friends, I just didn’t have time.

Anyway, as covered HERE, we recently went to San Fransisco. It was going to be a long flight. At first, I didn’t think I should bring them with me. After all, did I want to lug them 3000 miles back? After all, I’d have to bring them home. So I could throw them away…

A thoughtful pause.

No, a better idea. I stuffed them into my carry-on. And I worked through them on the trip. But instead of carrying them home to toss them, and instead of dropping them into the trash at the airport, I had a much better idea. Into the back pockets of seats, on chairs at the gate, I left them. Yes, with their flashy glossy covers, their cool train pictures, the nifty articles, the how-to starter pieces.

Someone out there might have a dead battery on their phone, no entertainment, no time. And there is my abandoned magazine. What’s the chance of them becoming a fellow hobbyist? Well, next to zero, probably. But maybe someone will read one. Maybe someone will think that it looks fun. So maybe someone will look up a hobby shop or club when they get home.

Who knows? But it beats dumping them into the trash.

I’m planning on doing this through India, of going in country with a dozen paperbacks, shedding them as I go. Perhaps my cast-offs will show up in a market, but maybe someone  will read them, a valuable English lesson.

On your next trip, think about this form of passive-suggestive book recommendations. Leave a book or magazine someplace that a fellow traveler might find it. Offer a book you’ve enjoyed to them. Even write something in the front cover, a hello from one reader to another, a gentle greeting.

Could be fun. Give it a shot. Pass your books and magazines on.

>>>AND, IF I COULD SUGGEST IT, GET A COUPLE OF MY BOOKS AND SEED THEM ACROSS THE WORLD. WHO KNOWS WHAT MIGHT GROW. ANYWAY, YOU CAN GET THEM HERE!<<<