The Penny On The Road

Tonight I was walking towards the grocery store when I spotted a penny on the road. It was easily within reach from the sidewalk and all it would have taken was for me to lean over and snatch it up. Yet, it was also rush hour, and my intuition told me to leave this penny be. Sure enough, not a moment later an SUV went right over that penny. 

While this may sound like the most insignificant thing that has happened to me, ask yourself this: What if I had gone for the penny? Considering how quickly events unfolded, it's arguable that I would have been hit by that SUV if I had not listened and gone for the penny. Then, such a minor experience would have been a life-changing (or even life ending) event. So often things happen within a blink of an eye that can alter things forever. 

Fast forward to after I left the grocery store (I had to load my ORCA card). As I'm walking through the parking lot, I spotted another penny on the ground. With a smile, I bent down, plucked it up, and continued on my journey.

Now, let's consider the philosophical difference between the first penny and the second. Both were easily able to obtain, but I was meant to get the second one and not the first. The risk far outweighed the reward; yet I was bound to be a penny richer, either way. So often in life we chase after things that were not meant for us in the first place; but if we wait and keep our eyes open, we might be rewarded even more so than if we pursue what doesn't belong to us.

So, in closing, I ask you this: Which penny are you reaching for?