a penny for your thoughts

The power went out at work for a little while today. Enjoying the break, I walked outside and sat at a picnic table enjoying the tiny bits of sunshine peeking through the clouds. As soon as I sat down I noticed a shiny copper colored item sitting next to me. An old penny, dated 1957 was sitting there as if it was waiting for me; face up and also enjoying the sunshine.

Remember when you were a small child and it was the highlight of your day to find a penny? If it was heads you picked it up for good luck, and if it was tails you left it their not wanting the bad luck that tails would bring. Funny idea isn't it? To put your luck in the hands of a penny-an item worth less and less as the economy continuously slows down. Yet growing up, finding a penny could make your whole day different; giving you the courage and luck to do something you may not have otherwise, cheering you up when the whole day had gone terribly wrong, or calming your nerves before a sporting event, big test, or important date with your crush from the first grade. Pennies used to mean something.

And I think pennies still do mean something. I felt lucky today, picking up that penny and laughing at myself for doing so. I wonder if children still get as excited over finding a penny on the streets as I used to; as I do even today. I wonder if it has become as meaningless and worthless as it seems. I sure hope not. A penny, heads up of course, can still brighten my day and make me feel luckier, or more confident, or more like the world is on my side. To me, that is worth far more than 1 cent. I believe that pennies are worth even more now than they were as a kid, now that I understand luck, that I value simplicity, and that I truly value the the feeling of uninhibited joy that comes in the simplest forms to remind me of all the things I can do with my life. And it only takes a penny to remind me how lucky I am in the first place.

I kept that penny. Tucked it away. Hopefully I will come across it again when I need a good feeling of luck or some extra encouragement one day.

I hope that you find a penny today, face up and soaking in the sunshine, and I hope that it reminds you not only how lucky you are, but also gives you that extra feeling of confidence and feeling like the world is on your side. We could all use a little more of that couldn't we? Bring on the pennies!