and coins
June 28 2010 (Monday)
For the last 8 years, I have tried to walk or exercise three times per week. When in Rockport, I walk on the paved path at Memorial Park. I am always met by the squirrels, most of which have no fear of the walkers and joggers. A few months ago, I saw a lot of turtles sunning themselves on the tiny islands in the little lake there. That was not unusual, but for the first time I saw they had been joined by a small alligator, 3 or 4 feet long. I have not seen him since. In Houston, there are no alligators where I walk in the Northwest Mall. Conditions for walking there are always perfect, and it’s never too hot or too cold. My walking partner, Leroy Washburn, got me started there in 2004. We walk together three times per week. Over this weekend, however, Leroy has become ill and is in the Northwest Memorial Herman hospital. Please pray for him. He and his family will deeply appreciate it, and so will I. And please pray for his family, too. Tomorrow, in the words of an old song, “I’ll walk alone,” but I’ll be praying for Leroy every step of the way.
As I said, there are no alligators in the mall, but there is a fountain and pool. Every so often it is cleaned, and each time many coins are retrieved from it. As soon as it is clean, I can’t help but notice that there are no coins, but in no time at all, they begin to reappear, and the number grows daily. It may be my imagination, but it seems to me there are more silver coins when the economy is in fairly good shape. Right now, there are a lot of pennies there.
The general consensus seems to be that all that money goes to charities of various kinds. One mall said it collects $4000 to $6000 per year from its fountain and it all goes to charity. Makes one wonder how much money is thrown into fountains around the world in one day? I could find no statistics on that. Why do people do it? Usually, just for fun, making a wish just in case. All the original mythology is irrelevant, although some of the fountains around the world have their own stories to tell, including their own reasons for collecting donations. Sadly, I have no coins to give, because I empty my pockets every day. I found out a long time ago that coins make holes in pockets.