There are dozens of fabulous stories associated with finding pennies on the ground. The quotation above is from a terrific old musical. There are poems, there have been plays, short stories and children's fables. I can't hope to add anything different to any of these seemingly enchanted tales. But, I hope to be able to share some insights into how extraordinary finding a simple penny on the ground can be. Since I was a child, I have loved picking up pennies I'd find. There was an instant sense of magical connection to finding one. Better than an Easter Egg hunt or a Scavenger Hunt, discovering pennies is an ongoing 'game'. One isn't sent into a field, in competition with others, jockeying for position to capture the prize. Each penny one finds is unique...and each penny one finds is a surprise. I've found pennies at the beach, in hotel lobbies, in parking lots, on the floor of a New York department store and even walking along a woodsy trail. I have picked pennies up in my own yard, and have found European coins in Paris and Venice. I love to imagine that anywhere I go, and whatever is on my mind, there is always the possibility of a penny to be found.
To be fair, finding a penny isn't what it used to be. When the rhyme "See a penny, pick it up, all day long you'll have good luck" was coined (pun fully intended), a penny actually meant something. For a child, it could buy you quite a nice amount of candy, or even a penny soda, in an old fashioned soda parlor. Pennies were useful currency...so useful, in fact, long before inflation relegated these coins to near obscurity, a half-pence was money in circulation, as well. Although some people like to say that a penny is only good luck if you find it 'heads up', I believe that tails up brings no misfortune, and certainly carried the same value as it would have in its righted position. It's difficult for us to fathom, but a penny used to purchase a loaf of bread, and many farm laborers toiled in the heat all summer long f
or a penny an hour. Inflation has so devalued the penny that lawmakers have rallied, for years, to eliminate them altogether. Many banks won't even accept them anymore, rolled in coin sleeves, and direct you to the nearest Coinstar machine (that deducts a percentage of your value in 'fees' for converting those pennies into 'real money'). The Treasury idea would be to round up all prices to the nearest nickel. I suppose that this would have shops, gas stations and sale merchandise lose that coveted $.99 spot in prices. The irony is that I happen to believe that finding a penny, however, isn't about finding money. It's about the thrill of finding something that everyone else has missed. It's about happening upon a moment of serendipity. When I found a penny at Penn Station, the last time I was in New York, I thought about all the people who had just passed this coin by...perhaps not even glancing down. In my own heart, I find that discovering a penny gives me a moment of pause...encouraging me to slow down, think about something other than my stressful day, and to bring a sense of wonder into my every day existence. There's a little bit of enchantment when you find a penny. I adore the idea that pennies are sent down from Heaven, from those who love us, to remind us of them. I also believe that, in finding a penny, we can remind ourselves of the joys in our lives. It's very easy to get caught up in daily routines to the point of monotony. When we find a penny, we have an excuse to stop, pick it up, count our blessings, slow our frantic breathing down and live, just for an instant, in a moment of purely authentic existence.
A wonderfully heartbreaking film, that I happen to love, is "Pay it Forward". In this movie, a young boy believes in the concept that, as something kind is done for you, you have the responsibility to 'pay it forward' and create a blessing for another pers
on. We are encouraged to imagine the world as a more extraordinary place, if all we do is share kindness on ahead...and then step back and allow that kindness to grow exponentially. Why couldn't the same idea work for pennies? If we find a penny, and it reminds us of our beloved father who has died, or reminds us to count our blessings, not our sorrows, doesn't it stand to reason that we can make that experience happen for someone else? Please do not misunderstand: I'm not advocating dumping out coin jars on every street corner. What I am suggesting is more along the lines of paying it forward: if you found a penny, and felt blessed in some special way, why not leave one in another spot, secretly? The finder will have no idea who has placed it there, but she may feel especially fortunate to have just come upon the joy of finding it. That person may, in turn, leave a penny in her doctor's office parking lot, to be found by another patient, who is terminally ill...but whose day is brightened. And, that patient may just hide a penny in a place where she knows her grandson will find it, and then teach him that pennies can remind us of those we love. It's a concept that it extremely simple, and yet, has the potential to brighten thousands of days for thousands of people. Not only are we blessed when we feel the excitement of finding a penny, but it's even more delightful to leave one, on a park bench, for someone else.The world is filled with tragedy. The news informs us of terrorist attacks, children being abused, drug wars and genocide. There is very little we can do to transform every one of society's ills into beauty. But, if we can use something a 'meaningless' as a penny to brighten another person's day, then my feeling is to "go forth" and do all the good we can. If we bring a smile to one person's face, then it's worth the effort. If we, ourselves, are reminded of those who love us, of those we love and of those who need our love, then it's even more of a grace filled moment.
