It was the campaign button

Yesterday I took the train downstate for a client meeting. My seatmate was a college freshman who was just too cute to be real!

Originally from the small town in downstate Illinois where my client is headquartered, he is going to school in Minnesota. On spring break, he took the Amtrak from Minneapolis/St. Paul to Chicago, where he spent the night and celebrated St. Patrick's Day, and now he was headed home to see his family.

He began chatting with me because I'm reading Game Change and I still have an Obama button on my jacket. First we talked a bit about the book, and the Prez, and Illinois politics. Then he told me a bit about his girlfriend, still in Minnesota -- he misses her sooo much and sent her photos of the view flying by our window (mostly backyards, empty fields and leafless trees) so she could see what he was seeing. He told me about St. Patrick's Day in Chicago -- he was scandalized that Chicago cops were drinking while in uniform!

I wanted to shrinkwrap him so he could stay this innocent about the world, this optimistic about the country, this much in love, and this nice forever! Whoever his mom and dad are, they should be very proud.