Sunday 28 December 2008

Take what happiness you can get. Or give.

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In May last year I posted about one of my obscure hobbies, spiking the local playground (above) with five and ten cent coins when I am out for a walk. Just one or two. The rationale is that the happiness displayed by a small child finding one of the coins is probably the best return you can get for the money nowadays.

I have never actually seen a kid find the coins.

But the other day I was out for my walk and saw that, in the playground, there were two kids and a man. The kids were climbing on the play equipment.

Their father was on his hands and knees, raking the woodchips with his fingers.

I guess you get your happiness wherever you can.
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14 comments:

  1. Oh... that is hysterically funny - and a little sad!

    My daughter found a coin once and insisted on handing it in to the nearest shop. She got the coin, some extra money and a chocolate in return for her honesty...

    I just LOVE LOVE LOVE the fact that you would leave money for small kids to find. You MUST be the real Santa!!

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  2. If I don't stop eating the Christmas leftovers, I'll be the same shape.

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  3. Oh Lee, we find out more about you every day don't we? How lovely. Lady Fi is right, you really are St Nick. Mum & me read your other post too. Mum agrees that money can't buy happiness, but she thinks it could drag someone off the treadmill and free them up to do something that they truly want to do instead of have to do. It's a big subject - too much for a little dog and his dizzy mom so I guess I ought to stop rambling......

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  4. That is a nice gesture on your part!

    I think that these days though, kids (unless under say 4) wont stop to pick up coins... it is the old folks that do! My kids dont value having coins at all. Its interesting as I used to collect coins from everywhere when I was their age. I remember sorting and wrapping them for hours, then walking over to the bank to change them in for dollars! Now the banks actually have automatic sorting machines that you can use for free and my kids still dont do it!

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  5. I remember reading that post..and wishing you were here living in our area..LOL! Sadly today all I see around me is people begging or trying to get money out of their pityful story..nobody's giving out.

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  6. Me too, I remember reading that post, wow suppose me, you and Liza is coming a long way then. All from Michelle's blog originally, 3 cheers for Justitia!!
    Any how, I too would have had a giggle out of that one; I saw the guys with metal detectors early on the beaches too.

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  7. I was looking for my ring! I dropped my ring. You think you could flop a couple quarters next time?

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  8. Well, I thought it was posted twice.
    And I caught it as good advice.
    I, too, leave coins for thrills
    (and sometimes, even dollar bills)
    Because the smiles produced are so nice!

    As I've recovered coins from telephones
    it's not like the money was ever owned.
    It was free to me then
    and now, even when
    An 'oldster' finds them, I still smile from my bones!

    (thanx for the great game, Mr. Kennedy!)

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  9. That is just too funny!

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  10. Now look here Lee!
    This is why we need Goverment Departments on the lookout for blokes like you.
    First they are looking into dangerous shells on the beach and now the poor buggers have to start looking for coins inserted "Christmas Pudding like "into playgrounds!

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  11. lolol.

    what a great idea you had.

    i remember the early mornings in my childhood when grown-ups combed the sand near the boardwalk in Jacksonville Beach, Florida. they did not have seashells on their minds and were no where near the surf. they were looking for loose change lost by drunken sailors from nearby Mayport Naval Base.

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  12. My grandmother used to bake coins wrapped in wax paper into birthday cakes. I don't remember is the cake was any good, but I will always remember finding the money.

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