One of my favorite places in New York City is the ice cream shoppe Serendipity 3. Yes, it’s uber-touristy and utterly overpriced, but the ice cream sundaes are outrageously good. As you can see from the picture on this post, each sundae is filled with at least three scoops of ice cream and topped with fluffy whipped cream, juicy cherries and so much hot fudge that the sauce oozes over the sides of the dish whenever you take a spoonful.
Today, I have a different serendipity in mind.
For some reason, $1 and $20 bills spend more time in my wallet than other forms of cash. When the rare $5 bill appears, I view it as a stroke of luck, a happy accident.
In the past, I’d hide that $5 bill in a sock drawer or coin purse. There it would remain, gathering dust, until I developed a yen for pizza. Regardless of how much dough was in my checking account, I could reach into my hidden $5 stash and treat myself (and whomever happened to be nearby) to dinner.
This practice of Lucky $5s and delivered pizzas continued for years. Even after I started making my own pies, I still put most of my $5 bills aside for a rainy day.
While walking through the grocery store this morning, I spied the frozen pizza section and remembered this odd habit of mine. That’s when I thought, isn’t it better to give than to receive? Perhaps it was time to upgrade my Lucky 5 habit to the Serendipity 5 plan.
What’s the difference? Well, now when two $5 bills cross my palm, I still plan to save one. M and I hope to buy a house in the near future and every little bit counts. But from this point forward, I shall give away the other $5 bill. I can donate it to a favorite charity, help those less fortunate or purchase an item that will brighten someone else’s day.
My hope is that the idea of Serendipity 5 will spread. What do you think?
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