Prosperity Pennies

I am "known" for my pennies. I don't know quite when it started, but a number of years ago I noticed that I was finding a lot of pennies. I didn't have a car at the time, so I walked a lot, and being a substitute librarian all over Minneapolis I also took the bus a lot. It became something of a game, between me and the Universe. Things were often financially scary, and the pennies seemed to be a message of reassurance. On the days that I needed it the most, I would find a penny somewhere. The following January I decided to keep track and I began putting the pennies (and nickels and dimes) in a special place. I began calling them my "prosperity pennies." At the end of that year I had $2.47. That's a LOT of pennies. More than one every other day. Everybody finds pennies now and then, but every other day?? I knew it was a way the Universe was trying to talk to me. One birthday (Jan. 21) , working at the library I found 21 cents left on a table. There was a period where I would frequently find a dime and a penny together (11 being a "master" number which represents new beginnings. When I was feeling especially insecure I would find 4 pennies together (4 represents security and stability.) The Universe definitely has a sense of humor, too, or maybe devas and fairies began to get in on the joke. One afternoon I decided to clean the oven in my apartment for the first time since I had moved in. Guess what I found in there among the blackened baked on ashes? It was black, but it was definitely a penny. Another time, I saw a penny on the bus, and decided that I would leave it there, in the "bank" so to speak, thanking the Universe, and wondering what return I would get on my investment. By the end of the day, I had found 3 more pennies, gotten 50 cents off the bus fare (someone ahead of me had paid extra??), and then found a dollar bill on the sidewalk. Not bad! 153% return on my "investment" of one penny. I began telling these penny stories at church and to my friends. Now others tell me their penny stories. Just last week someone from church sent me a story about finding pennies, and every time she finds a penny she says she thinks of me and my pennies.

My youngest sister makes jewelry, and gave me a lovely charm bracelet for Christmas. We ordered more charms for my birthday, and I just love it. I've been thinking that I should have a penny charm on my bracelet.

In the last year, I have been working a lot with the concept of Manifesting. I have become quite adept at getting parking places right in front when I have a load of groceries or laundry to bring in, and parking is something of a premium around here. I decided, hey, let's see if I can manifest dimes instead of pennies! (Yes, maybe I should go for dollar bills, but one of the rules of manifesting is that you have to believe you can do it....) And sure enough, I began finding dimes. Last night I came home with 5 bags of groceries to bring in. (Yes there was a parking place right in front.) When I went out to get the second trip, there in the street right in front of the car door was a dime. That's the third, or maybe fourth, dime of the year. A dime a week? Not bad! Things are still financially scary. I am waiting for my lawyer to finish the paperwork for a Chapter 7 bankruptcy. My temp. job ended yesterday. I have three days of subbing scheduled for next week, but beyond that is unknown. So that dime was a real spirit booster.

I decided to empty out my penny box from last year, and I put in the three dimes and a penny that I had found and put in my coat pocket recently, along with last night's dime. I counted up last year's -- not the best year but still respectable -- $1. 68. That included 9 dimes, 1 nickel, and 73 pennies. The most remarkable thing, however, is that one of those pennies has a perfect little hole in it, right above Lincoln's head. It was clearly put there for the purpose of wearing it as a charm or necklace. I have had it soaking in copper polish today and tried to clean it up. It has had tar or something on it, and needs a little more work. But I will wear it on my charm bracelet. Who can turn down a gift like that from the Universe?