Saturday, April 02, 2005
Pennies
I pick up pennies. From the time I was a child, I have always had half of an eye guarding my steps and watching out unconsciously for them. I don't really know that it's the money aspect that has kept me "penny-conscious" since birth. Perhaps it’s the romance of finding that "hidden treasure" that I dreamed of as a child. Maybe it's the fact that a penny will bring you good luck. Of course I never went in to that "good luck if you find it on heads and bad luck if you find it on tails" story. A penny has always been a penny. One cent. Abe or the Lincoln memorial, it's still a penny. Oh, but the joy of a child's face upon espying one of those lovely copper tokens. "Wow! A penny! Hey, Mom, look what I found!" And I still say that, only now, it's to my husband, who, being foreign finds it strange that people should leave so much money lying around.
So, why DO people throw out pennies nowadays, anyway? I haven't figured that one out. I was told growing up by many close relatives, "Save your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves." Well, if that's the case, there are a lot of people out there without dollars. Never mind that it takes one hundred pennies to make a dollar, or that you can't buy ANYTHING with a penny anymore. But, the penny does have its uses. If you buy an item for five dollars and one cent, you give the cashier ten dollars and one cent to get a fiver back instead of 4 ones, three quarters, two dimes and four pennies, right? A penny can scratch the black stuff off of a scratch card, too. I knew a lady once that glued a penny to the bottom of her table leg to keep it from wobbling.
What about those of us, who, being the curious sort, lined our pennies up on the railroad tracks to see what the train could do with them? I remember doing that a few times with my brother, even though we had been told to stay away from the tracks by our overly protective psycho-mom. We would sneak down to the tracks and place the pennies on the rail, then go back home. Of course, trains don't always come when you will them to, so waiting might have taken a long time. After we heard the train come through, we would take the next opportunity and rush back to the tracks to see our "squished pennies". "Cool!" Now they've got machines that do the same thing in souvenir shops and gift shops all over the United States. You put in your penny, and for 50 cents you can get it squished AND stamped with the name of the tourist attraction of choice. I always shook my head at that. Why would you want to pay 50 cents for a penny, when you can squish it yourself for free?
I'm not encouraging children to go out and play on the train tracks, squishing pennies and getting run over by trains, but it was a fun memory, and one that I would like to repeat one of these days when I can get my husband to understand the need for a squished penny.
I guess my point in all of this is that pennies still have a place in American society. Others of us may choose to pass a penny on the street. And know that if you are one who is too lazy to bend over and pick up one that you have dropped, someone like me WILL come along and pick it up. Not because it's money, but because it's a part of our history, a treasure and a nostalgic piece of Americana. We will pick it up because it's a penny.
So, why DO people throw out pennies nowadays, anyway? I haven't figured that one out. I was told growing up by many close relatives, "Save your pennies and the dollars will take care of themselves." Well, if that's the case, there are a lot of people out there without dollars. Never mind that it takes one hundred pennies to make a dollar, or that you can't buy ANYTHING with a penny anymore. But, the penny does have its uses. If you buy an item for five dollars and one cent, you give the cashier ten dollars and one cent to get a fiver back instead of 4 ones, three quarters, two dimes and four pennies, right? A penny can scratch the black stuff off of a scratch card, too. I knew a lady once that glued a penny to the bottom of her table leg to keep it from wobbling.
What about those of us, who, being the curious sort, lined our pennies up on the railroad tracks to see what the train could do with them? I remember doing that a few times with my brother, even though we had been told to stay away from the tracks by our overly protective psycho-mom. We would sneak down to the tracks and place the pennies on the rail, then go back home. Of course, trains don't always come when you will them to, so waiting might have taken a long time. After we heard the train come through, we would take the next opportunity and rush back to the tracks to see our "squished pennies". "Cool!" Now they've got machines that do the same thing in souvenir shops and gift shops all over the United States. You put in your penny, and for 50 cents you can get it squished AND stamped with the name of the tourist attraction of choice. I always shook my head at that. Why would you want to pay 50 cents for a penny, when you can squish it yourself for free?
I'm not encouraging children to go out and play on the train tracks, squishing pennies and getting run over by trains, but it was a fun memory, and one that I would like to repeat one of these days when I can get my husband to understand the need for a squished penny.
I guess my point in all of this is that pennies still have a place in American society. Others of us may choose to pass a penny on the street. And know that if you are one who is too lazy to bend over and pick up one that you have dropped, someone like me WILL come along and pick it up. Not because it's money, but because it's a part of our history, a treasure and a nostalgic piece of Americana. We will pick it up because it's a penny.
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Well... I remember that I saw the dollar bill first... but according to you that little recollection of mine is incorrect. I wonder where that dollar bill is now? ((I squished a penny or two myself!))
Love ya... Suzii
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Love ya... Suzii
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