Who are we kidding? If we thought I’d make it through this year without inventing my own hobby, we’d be off our rockers…
Some people have recommended coin collecting to me as one of my 52 weeks of hobbies–but I’ve decided to do the exact opposite. In addition to the hobby project, I’ve created a new project called A Penny a Day, in which I will be leaving one heads-up penny each day–somewhere–for someone, to find, in hopes that it will bring good luck or at least a superstitious smile. And for each one, I will take a photo to share. So I guess we can call this hobby, “Penny Leaving.”
You may be wondering where I got the idea. So here’s the story:
A couple months ago, at the Grey Dog in Union Square, I dropped a penny. When I looked down, I noticed that it was tails-up. While I’ve never believed a tails up penny to be bad luck-I’ve always gotten a kick out of a heads-up penny, so I picked the penny back up and shoved it in my pocket until it was ready to give someone good luck.
That morning, I brainstormed the penny project–in which I would leave a heads-up penny every day in a different location for someone to find, beginning on
January 1, 2013.
The truth is that I personally believe that something as simple as a heads-up penny can trigger a shift from negative thoughts to positive ones. I couldn’t prove that to you scientifically–but when was the last time you found a penny and didn’t automatically check to see if it was a heads–or a tails? And what did you do when you discovered it was a tails…or a head? To be honest, I’ve read that many people don’t pick pennies up at all– “too small.” But I want to believe that the kid in us will still get excited over something as simple–and small as a heads-up penny. Besides–Remember when a penny could buy one swedish fish?—Those were the days!
Alas, when I woke up on January 1, the penny project didn’t come to mind–and I had almost forgotten it all together–that is until I stepped onto the L Train–and saw a gleaming piece of copper on a lonely bench:
As I examined more closely, I discovered that the gleaming piece of copper was a heads-up penny.
In that moment, I knew that I had to start the Heads-Up Penny Project as I had intended to.
So I picked up my fortune and placed a newer, 2012, penny down on the bench–the first penny of the year.
And then I smiled.
“If a heads-up penny isn’t a good sign to start to 2013, then what is?”
Oh–and that penny I found–I used it to scratch a lottery ticket just a half hour later: I won 10 bucks.
And that my friends–is the power of a penny…and how the Penny a Day hobby came to be.
I’d like to invite you to leave pennies too–and submit them via email to libbysegal12@gmail.com —
Please include: a photo, one sentence about the penny, your name, and your site (optional).
Looking forward to the adventures of our pennies!
Pennies up!
The Hobby Hoarder 