There’s an old saying… A penny for your thoughts. It’s been around as long as I remember. It’s a way of asking what someone is thinking. For example, “You’ve been gazing out that window for quite some time. A penny for your thoughts.”
Something unusual happened to me the other day, so I looked up the “thought’s” origin. It started in the United Kingdom in the 16th century.
When I googled its meaning and application, this is what I found.
If one is in a conversation with another person and that person stops responding and appears distracted in some way, the person who is paying attention might use “a penny for your thoughts” as a way to direct the other person’s attention back to the conversation. Alternatively, if one comes upon someone they know, staring off into space, they might use the phrase to try to determine what the other person is thinking. That distracted person should return their attention to the moment and, if they want to, share what was going through their head.
I’m going to tell you a story and ask you what you think. I’d appreciate a penny’s worth of your thoughts.
I was taking a shower a couple days ago. I sometimes shave in the shower. I know I probably use more water that way, but I like to feel the hot water pounding on my back. I lathered up my face, took hold of my razor, dropped it, and the blade popped off. It’s one of those clip-on clip-off razors.
In any case, I tried to clip the two parts back together but failed. My hands were too slippery and my eyesight too poor. I couldn’t see where the handle clipped onto the blade. I have a Roman shower, so I walked out to the bathroom counter to try to clip the two parts back together. I failed again. I was dripping water everywhere. Blobs of shaving cream fell to the floor as well. I looked in the cupboards below the sinks for a new razor but found none.
I had a mini epiphany. I have a large walk-in closet where I keep my travel toiletries. I knew I had a razor in the kit. The closet is carpeted so I retrieved a bath towel, threw it down on the carpet so it wouldn’t get wet, stepped on, got the razor and walked back into the shower. As I walked in, I saw a penny on the shower floor. It wasn’t there when I walked out, but it was there when I returned. The entire ordeal may have taken a minute. Not much more. I live alone, and out of nowhere, a penny appeared.
I shared the story with a friend, and she asked if I had a history of penny mysteries. I don’t, but I told a story about Ruth. If she found a stray penny on the street or on the floor of a casino we were visiting, she took action. If it was heads up, she passed it on to someone else or placed it on a random slot machine for luck. If it was tails, she tossed it away. She chucked a lot of pennies over the years.
A couple of days after Ruth’s car accident, Elizabeth, Eva, Ruth’s sister, Kathy, and I went to inspect her totaled car one more time. David and I had been there once and retrieved several things, but BZ thought it best to take one last look. We found a couple of small items. Nothing of any value except for four pennies. Four people. Four pennies. We each took one. The one I received sits on a ledge next to a mini cardinal that my sister Sharron gave me. I look at the two of them every time I write a story in Florida. Like right now.
That’s the first place I looked after I found the penny in the shower. They’re not the same. I have two now. The one in the shower was face down so if I followed Ruth’s lead, I’d just toss it away. But I can’t unless I solve the mystery of its appearance from out of nowhere. My spiritual answer is she placed it there. I don’t know why but I can’t come up with another explanation.
What do you think? A penny for your thoughts.
Gary and I both think Ruth did this. A way to keep her close as you live your life. Ruth would want you to be happy and fulfilled
pennies from Heaven is my thought!
Now, you will never be pennyless.
Well, you certainly come up with a doozy when you have a question. You mentioned you have a Roman shower. Did you happen to go into the shower with your shorts on? Perhaps the penny was in your pocket and fell out when you slipped them off. Or possibly you were doing some weird exercises to tighten your cheeks & were pinching a penny? But then again, no. You would have known that. Other than that, the only thing I can think of is, “Pennies from Heaven”. And count your blessings.
Ruth had a hand in it.. I’m sure..
Hey Bob, I have no idea how the penny got there? But I will tell you a story of mine. About 8 months ago, I said a prayer to God to help me remember my baptism, (it was a simple prayer). I thought I was 10-12 years old. My mom couldn’t remember. A couple weeks had gone by, and my brother and I were discussing an old truck I had, so I started going through pictures to show him the truck, this is when I came across a picture of me getting baptized. I don’t ever remember seeing this picture, and my mom didn’t remember it either. It was dated 1981 Nathan’s Baptism, and it was in a zip lock baggie with some other photos. I was 7 years old when the picture was taken. I have gone through photos several times over the years since I moved down here. Where did that picture come from? I have the same questions sometimes. For me I know it is God answering my prayer. Something spiritual is going on with you and your family! There are lots of different explanations depending on what people believe. For me, there is only one explanation, Jesus!