what lesson did you learn today?

[ebbtide176]

i ran over to grab a bite at a huge hotdog chain here-The Varsity. standing at the (huge)counter waiting on my order, notice this young woman drops some change, picks up 1 coin, walks off. i was watching a penny roll around and this little ole lady walks by, tells me she sees my penny, and starts moving right over to it pointing at it for me.<br /> <br />(now i must break the story for a moment;we had a past post about how no one apprec the good fortune we're living in, how kids leave money laying around,etc. and like you, i'd normally pick it up)<br /><br />but my hands are clean , i'm wanting to grab a slawdog and chowdown, it's past 1pm! and i'm not a terribly talkative person, so i didn't want to explain everything to this senior citizen. i figured ok, i'll go along and be appreciative... so i bend down to pick it up, and she says "look! there's another one over there!" and kicks the penny over another foot or two. she's all excited and i guess she can't see well and feels she has to point out these 2 pennies on the checkboard floor for me. so there i am halfbent over and she's making these little sliding steps while kicking the !#$!penny 4" at a time towards the other one. by this time i have to remind myself when you feel a rude remark coming, just say opposite. soooo, i finally get to pick up the 2c and tell her that "i see them both thank you maam", and i pick them up. <br /><br />now i'm not about to use the funky mensroom here, so i grab my grub and just drive on back to the office to wash hands and finally get to eat! on the way to the office i was telling myself i shudda just tole the ole lady to pickup the dam 2c herself! but noooooo. <br /><br />i wish it were one of you guys so i cudda lmao. i was thinkin there must be a lesson here, other than just being a funny story, but i'm not sure...

 

[JB]

Re: what lesson did you learn today?

Ebbtide.<br /><br />I have a 3 liter wine jug (my private label)about 80% filled with pennies I have picked up where others didn't bother. <br /><br />I am pretty sure there is enough to provide my survivors with a fifth of Royal Salute with which to toast my life when my time has passed.<br /><br />I was once told by one of my Hispanic students that their culture believes that throwing away money throws away bad luck. That would explain about 75% of the pennies in my jug.

 

[crab bait]

Re: what lesson did you learn today?

i stooped one time to pick up a penny,, & thru my back out & was outta work for a week an a half... but i was a penny richer......

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: what lesson did you learn today?

Okay now consider this... <br /><br />It takes about 2-3 seconds to pick up a penny...<br /><br />That's about 20-30 pennies a minute.....<br /><br />We will go with the lower figure and say 20 per minute x 1 hour = $12.00/hour which is considered to be a livable wage! <br /><br />And no taxes collected!<br /><br />Bob

 

[Ross J]

Re: what lesson did you learn today?

Hey Ebbtide176,<br />you managed to make an older citizen of our fair earth feel great, through your experience she gained enormous power from the simple effort of pointing out a single coin. Consider when she was younger and struggling to make ends meet and consider what her mother would have told her when they dropped a coin. You have proberly made her so happy that her poor old hubby has put up with a 30 minute summary of the events. She's done her good deed and feels proud.<br />Ebbtide176 you've gone up even higher in my estimation. Good on you sport!!<br />Ross

 

[ebbtide176]

Re: what lesson did you learn today?

thankye kindly all; and ross' 2c was like pullin an ace from the deck.<br />i kinda was feelin that it was an ironic reminder of how easily humans are controlled by total strangers at any time/place. kinda like when u look up because someone else is doing it, or talk loud when someone is shouting...<br />and after getting my bellyful: thinkin of the good ole days when as a scout i hadda keep track of 'do a good deed' everyday. but it makes me laugh to know this stranger changed my whole plan for lunchtime, with such a simple event.

 

[Alrobot]

Re: what lesson did you learn today?

Now after all that did you give the pennies to the older ladie that pointed them out to you...

 

[crab bait]

Re: what lesson did you learn today?

when i was a kid .. the neigborhood across the hi-way , was a street with a culdasac.. we called it 'penny lane ' an we used to ride our bikes over there an search for pennies.. sometimes lots of 'em. sometimes not .. they'd be all over the culdasac loop..it was great .. you could always find enough for some penny candy at the 'little store'.. mint jewlips, squirrel nut zippers or candy-dots-on-paper-strip & wax lips...we never knew where the pennies came from.. WHO CARES.. it was a magicky street for all we knew.. then one day a kid saw a revalation.. he saw a man , an owner of a house ,there.. throw a hand full of pennies out in the street.. the man saw the kid.. an never again were there pennies on 'penny lane' ever again...

 

[JB]

Re: what lesson did you learn today?

Today I learned something that I have believed for years to be true, really is true:<br /><br />Our friends here, who never boast about what bigshots they may be or how many hundreds of Kilobucks thay have in their boats; who mostly prefer old outboards and work on them themselves.<br />People with grease under their fingernails and a love of boating in their hearts are far more gentlemen and ladies than some of the manicured, silk ********* dandies along Palm Beach, etc.<br /><br />This is my Son's treasured Boston Whaler Montauk.<br />

<br /><br />He paid $26,000 for it 3 years ago. There is a balance of $19,620. I offered it in a for sale ad and offered to pay someone a bonus of $3000 cash to assume the balance. <br /><br />Those jerks attacked me as though I was trying to steal their money!!! <br /><br />Since when was a for sale ad that you weren't interested in any of your business??? <br /><br />I am so "P"ed I could throw up.<br /><br />Thank you all for not being like that.

 

[DJ]

Re: what lesson did you learn today?

JB,<br /><br />NICE RIG-WORTH EVERY @##$ PENNY.<br /><br />Looks like it is expertly kept and well set up on a nice trailer-my kudos to you.<br /><br />If it wasn't for college around the corner, you and I would be engaged in serious negotiations. You just don't find them like that.

 

[crab bait]

Re: what lesson did you learn today?

an one day i went to penny lane one last time .. an i saw the man in his yard.. the 'penny-man 'in the yellow house.. i kinda half heartedly waved at him... i think he knew who i was , a kid lookin' for pennies. he smiled a bit & waved back..i got the hint that since he been caught. the penny game was over... boy, we missed the trips to the little store with found pennys...

 

[Ross J]

Re: what lesson did you learn today?

JB you,ve reminded me of something my well loved old father-in-law used to say.<br />He repaired washing machines in South Auckland and he'd always say thst those in the rich houses were charged a lot more for their repairs, and those in the poor houses a lot less. <br />When I asked why he replied those in the poor houses usually paid cash the moment the machine was returned, and were greatful to have it back. He said they never failed to pay.<br />Those in the rich houses would give a cheque which often bounced and required time and effort to re-present to the bank. Sometimes they didn't pay. Dad was often pulling out his hair over this.<br />Its funny how some folk with the $$$$ think all we want is to take it from them!<br />Ross

 

[G-Daddy]

Re: what lesson did you learn today?

JB - I saw the thread on the "other" forum. I couldn't believe what those jerks were posting. It's one thing for a person to post an opinion and get disagreement. It's entirely different for a person to tell you that you are asking too much for an offer that they are not interested in anyway.