Finding Money

I’m not especially sharp eyed, but I do seem to find a lot of change (see photo). The other side of the coin (pun intended) is that people lose or drop a lot of change and cannot be bothered to look for it. Most of the time I’m probably not the first person to spot these abandoned coins. To many Americans our money is of such little value that it’s not worth picking up.

I find a lot of coins during my bike rides. Another big source is parking lots near stores. Get out of the car, look down, and inexplicably there’s money on the ground. Mostly I find Lincoln pennies, alone or in small groups, which are still in circulation mainly so we can pay—or receive change from paying—state sales tax. But I also find larger-denomination coins and an occasional dollar bill. Abandoned quarters always surprise me, even though there’s not much you can buy with one.

So why buck (bad pun) the trend and pick up loose change that no seems to want? Although I’ve never counted the coins in my money dish, the total probably wouldn’t buy lunch at a fast-food restaurant. Perhaps it reminds me of being a kid again, when getting any money—especially free money—was a thrill. To me a coin on the ground says “pick me up.”

There’s another reason too. Finding coins is a reason to make a wish. Such serendipity demands it. I always make a single wish regardless of the denomination of the find. Today’s quarter (my find this morning) doesn’t have 25 times the wishing power of last week’s penny. I don’t share the wishes with anyone. And I keep them deliberately vague like the predictions in Chinese fortune cookies so as not to overstress the power of the find. Still I think they help the general outcome of the days ahead.

So a word to lazy people who won’t stoop down to pick up a coin: do it and make a free wish. There’s always a reason to do that. If you won’t, I will.