Albert enjoyed working at the patent office.  He enjoyed being able to examine the ideas of other people.  Some of the inventions that crossed his desk were nonsense, though that didn’t stop him from examining them.  He knew that sometimes this year’s bad idea could become next year’s newly accepted paradigm.  Other inventions were quite interesting.  Sometimes he rejected an idea outright.  Other times he saw such potential in someone else’s work that he would write the necessary corrections ri ... More

Albert enjoyed working at the patent office.  He enjoyed being able to examine the ideas of other people.  Some of the inventions that crossed his desk were nonsense, though that didn’t stop him from examining them.  He knew that sometimes this year’s bad idea could become next year’s newly accepted paradigm.  Other inventions were quite interesting.  Sometimes he rejected an idea outright.  Other times he saw such potential in someone else’s work that he would write the necessary corrections right then and there, and without even telling the originator of his changes, he would forward it to the next stage, sure that the invention with his corrections, would be approved. 

It was on such a day, while Albert was sitting at his desk examining the hopes and dreams of someone else, when one of the female office assistants brought a legal-size envelope into the office and placed it before him.  It wasn’t that it was unusual for the patent office to receive such mail.  Most were packages and manuscripts, though a few were objects.
“What’s this?”  Albert tried to show interest; it was sometimes difficult what with the number of packages he received each day.
“It’s for you, Albert,” replied the assistant.  “A man brought it in to the outer office a few minutes ago…said it was for you, and then left.”  Albert looked around the assistant toward the outer office.
“Did he say who he was?” asked Albert, “Did he give you his card?”
“No, I’m sorry–he didn’t—he just told me, ‘give this to Albert Einstein,’ and then he left.

(More to come...)  Less