A Lucky Find

So over 20 years ago I was really struggling. I was a college student studying for an associates degree (Ha!) and working part-time as a telemarketer doing pledge drives for uniformed services like police and firefighters. It wasn’t a good job- the best thing about it was it offered flexible shifts. As long as an employee worked a day or night shift, and the employee was at a cubicle making phone calls and making pledge quotas, things were good.

So money was tight. Around the summer time, there was the State Fair that I wanted to go to, but probably couldn’t afford. It probably cost at least 30$ just to enter the fair, see the some sights and be among the crowd, and maybe get a cheap meal. To go on the carnival rides, a person needed at least 50$.

I wasn’t making my pledge quotas one day, so I was sent home early. I was riding my bike back home, when I saw something familiar on the ground near a strip mall parking lot. I stopped the bike and looked closer. It was money. 50$- two 20$ bills and a 10$. It wasn’t in a wallet, it was money laying on the ground near the curb.

So of course I picked it up and put it in my pocket. And the next day, I went to the state fair. I had enough for the entry fee, a combo meal, and enough tickets to go on 3 or 4 carnival rides. I spent about 3 hours at the fair, and  I was grateful that I was able to go after all. I had a little money left over even.

Things could have been different. There were different variables, like it could have been a windy day, someone didn’t drop that money, I wouldn’t have been at that time cuz I was still at work. Maybe someone else could have found that money instead. I still think about that, or who did drop that money.

Anyways, I remember this moment cuz I was grateful to have had a good day, found that money when I needed it, and I wish that I could find larger amounts of money more often.