Look on the Bright Side

I lost five euros a couple of weeks ago.  That's looking on the bright side, which is something I don't always do. I actually lost half of a ten euro banknote, which means I really lost ten euros, I know. But I felt a little better thinking that I'd only lost five.  In fact, if I'd lost the whole thing, I might not have even noticed.  It was the discovery of the perfectly torn half that is trying to teach me a lesson.

I'd spent the morning with students in Bassano del Grappa.  I'd met one in the cafe by the train station.  After the lesson we walked through the Saturday morning market to my favorite florist to buy flowers.  This was the meeting point for the next student.  We shopped a bit and then ended up in another cafe.  And when I'd finished with her I went to a beautiful old office just off the piazza in the center of town for the final lesson of the day.  It's hard to believe this is my job.

It wasn't until later that afternoon that I discovered the half banknote. Quite certain that I was the one at fault, I texted my students anyway to see if one of them was still holding the other half.  As I expected, the missing piece was missing.  I was reminded once again that my method of money collecting really isn't such a good one.  It happens every time the students pay me. I always feel a little embarrassed and I want to get the exchange over quickly.  Instead of opening my bag and getting out my wallet and neatly folding the money and placing it in the proper section (all of which takes time), I just shove it my pocket and keep talking as though they haven't just paid me.  But, cramming crumpled bills into the depths of my skinny jeans' pockets only means pulling them out again in the same disheveled manner which leads to dropped money, torn money and occasionally even laundered money.

 

The following week I went to Bassano for my usual Saturday morning routine.  First the coffee and lesson at the train station and then the little walk to the florist.   I'd actually (almost) forgotten about having lost ten euros, but was pleasantly reminded by the florist.  He saw me coming, winked, and presented me with the missing half.  Fortunately, I hadn't thrown away my five euros because suddenly, I had ten again.

Deciding to tuck the torn bill in a little pocket in my wallet as a reminder of how not to handle my money in the future had paid off.  And I'm sure deciding to look on the bright side a little more often would pay off, too.

No one has ever injured his eyesight by looking on the bright side of things.  --unknown