Don't you just love finding money?

The joy of hidden treasures

Finding hidden treasure
As a child, I used to stash money in unusual places so that I would surprise my future self with the discovery of hidden treasure. I imagined the delight I would feel when I stumbled upon a cache of money. What a surprise! How did this get here? Ooh what shall I do with this money?

There was a slight problem with this scheme though. It took me a long time to forget where I had hidden the treasure, so I seldom had the opportunity to surprise myself.

However, it did eventually work. A few months ago, I found a secret stash that I had hidden in the 1980s. Yes, the 1980s! I even have the coins to prove it.

As you can see from the drawing, I hid the money in a toy valise. When I found this at my father's a year or so ago, I wondered, "Is the money still in there?" And lo, there they were, little coins nestled in their miniature chest, a gift from my childhood self.

What I didn't know as a kid was that the treasure wasn't the money, it was the delight of being a child again.

It runs in the family
I'm not the only one who likes hiding money. My mother would do the same. She had hiding places all over the house. But her reasons were much more pragmatic than mine, the money was for emergencies and security.

Before she passed away, she told me that she had hidden money all over the house and that we had to look for it. This wasn't a game or a joke. She really did mean it. She didn't want us to inadvertently throw her hard-won money away.

So, long after she passed away, I spent some time looking in nooks and crannies around the house - flower pots, shoe cabinets, photo albums - to see if I could find any of this money. I actually found some in a bag, but I think my mum was too clever by half. I didn't find any more than that. Or I'm just not very good at looking.

See a penny, pick it up
The other kind of treasure that I associate with my mum is finding money on the street. I used to think, "Why bother picking up coins from the street, so little value, so embarrassing!"

One day, mum told me that she always made a point do so. I was ready to dismiss this as petty avarice but stopped when she said, "The humble one-cent coin lying on the street symbolises the universe's desire to bring you prosperity and luck. If you don't pick it up, you are rejecting the wealth and opportunities that life is sending you."

I was struck by this insight into my mother's soul. My unromantic matter-of-fact mother had expressed such an esoteric take on life that was so at odds with my view of her. My teenage self felt ashamed that I had thought her shallow and worldly.

I decided to embrace this philosophy. I now make it a point to pick coins off the street. I acknowledge the missive the universe is sending me - message received! - and smile at the thought of my practical and profound mother.

How about you? What are the most interesting places you have found money? Let me know in the comments below.

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