by Phil Rowe
From the time we're toddlers in our high chairs to the days in pre-school, other folks assign us our seats. We sat where we were told. Later in high school and even in college we often parked it according to some teacher or professor's seating chart. We couldn't wait for the day when we could choose where we sat.
And then we went out into the work-a-day world. The kind of seat we used depended upon what work we chose to do. A draftsman sits on a stool, a secretary at an adjustable swivel seat without arms. And managers sit upon nicer chair with a tilt-backs and armrests.
For me none of these were appropriate. My seat was even more powerful than that of the company president or even the general in headquarters. My seat could get me up in the world in seconds, often with a trailing plume of flame and smoke. What was this special chair, you ask?
I chose an airplane ejection seat, a rocket-equipped model where the squeeze of a hand grip could send me up or down, depending on the airplane type and my cockpit location. I much preferred UP to DOWN, though at times I had to take what was available.
Think about it. The kind of seat we use says a lot about what we do, and sometimes about who we are. So be careful where you park it.