Finding Joy in Pennies!
I have a somewhat gross obsession with finding change, namely pennies, on my runs. These are my “pennies from heaven” and they bring me so much joy! Finding them lets me know that I’m on the right path. (Plus, Abe Lincoln is my favorite President of all time.)
Whatever your “pennies” are, I hope you’re also finding joy in the small things. They all add up over time!
Things I’ve Learned from My Pennies
Not every day is a record-setting day…& that’s ok!
Some days you’ll find just one penny. Other days, nada. The days that are tougher change-finding days are the ones that help to make the jackpot days that much sweeter. If you found a shit ton of change every day, you’d come to expect it, and it wouldn’t surprise you.
Every single penny adds up towards filling your jar.
Never underestimate the power of one single penny, or one single thought, or one single step. Maybe you want to run a marathon. Maybe you want to launch a business. Maybe you want to turn a hobby into something more. No matter what your goal is, all it takes is finding that one penny, taking that one step, acting on that one idea. Keep finding the one penny, and before you know it you’ll have an overflowing jar!
Go back and count your change.
Life and the days go by faster than a race. Reflect on how much you’ve collected. The night before I won the Kansas City Marathon, I counted my pennies, and I had found 262 pennies exactly during all of my training (how’s that for a sign that I’m on the right path, huh?). I thought back on all of the runs I had been on to collect each and every one of those: a peso from my honeymoon in Mexico, a Belizean coin from my wedding, a piece of smashed copper that was once a distinct penny. Be proud of the effort put into finding each coin and grateful for the journey.
Pennies are like opportunities: if you don’t have hope that you’ll find one and you’re not constantly keeping your eyes out for one, you’ll miss it entirely.
When I run, walk or sit, I am constantly scanning the ground because I know that the opportunity to find my pennies are there. And those pennies are just waiting to be found. Keep your eyes out for the pennies that you’re hoping to find, and send out the positive vibes that you’ll find those pennies. Maybe you’ll find just one or two, but maybe you’ll hit the motherload of 73 pennies!
You’re not alone. Someone else has been on this exact same path as you.
Their penny dropped, and you found it. One time, I was deep in the zone on a run, when I found one penny on the path…then two, three, six, seven, what?! Pennies littered the path. JACKPOT! Then I saw a homeless guy sitting near them. When I asked if they were his, he said they were but not anymore. He kept only the ones he wanted (1985, 2001, ??.) and threw the rest. How funny that a homeless man’s trash was now my ultimate treasure! Don’t forget moments like these keep us human.
The biggest piece of advice that I can offer:
Embrace the “change"! This is the only thing that’s constant, right? Change is a great thing. (But remember to wash your hands after you find it!)