I was walking in Lexington and happened to walk by the "Commonwealth" office. I guess that's shorthand for the welfare office. There were hundreds of people inside, all sitting and waiting in line to see someone about their case. And I know this isn't profound or anything, but it just occured to me:

One of the fundamental differences between rich people and poor people is that rich people don't wait in line for anything, and poor people spend a lot of their time waiting in lines. A few years ago, I flew with a guy who is worth around half a billion dollars. It was a long flight, and he sat up front with me. During our conversation, he said this "Time is one of the most valuable gifts you can give someone." So what does that mean in regard to the millions of poor people who give up substantial parts of their lives waiting for things 'cause they can't afford to skip to the front of the line?

My present boss understands this at a fundamental level, he is early for everything. If I am early for everything, do I win? When I fly corporate, I spend a lot of time waiting for my customers - we drop them off, then wait until they return. How valuable is my gift to them? How can I even measure it?