At the gas pump

I don’t have any qualms about throwing down some serious cash for things I desire (gelato school in Italy, anyone?), yet I’m quite parsimonious when it comes to parting with my dough for strangers. I rarely tip the Starbucks cashier and seldom give money to panhandlers.

Lately, however, one could say I’m tipping the universe – throwing out some good karma and assuaging my miserly guilt, one small denomination at a time. I’ve been making little dollar bill footballs and leaving them for strangers to find. I’ve surreptitiously secreted them on the push bar of a cafeteria door, inside a coffee mug on a Starbucks merchandise shelf and most recently in a sugar holder at a diner.

Is this some sort of Easter Bunny complex? No. I’ve read that this practice is suggested in the “Law of Attraction,” but that’s not my shtick and my motivation is more straightforward – give away a dollar, feel good for your deed; find a dollar, feel good for your luck. That’s a lot of feel good positivity for only $1. I like the randomness of it. I have no control over the recipient. It feels good put some joy out into the world, even if it’s only $1 at a time. And right now, I could use some positivity.