A Drop In The Bucket

You notice the little things in life. The smallest changes in my everyday living seem so inconsequential yet, noticing them gives me pause as I think of the reasons for said changes. I notice that I’m only filling my gas tank only once every two weeks now that I’m working. When I was unemployed I would buy gas at least once a week. The obvious reason for the change is that I’m working six days a week, I don’t have time to do much driving and therefore, well, obviously I don’t need to buy gas as often as I used to.

Since I was a teenager I, like many others, have always had a coffee can or one of those large water bottles that I throw change into. I’d dig into it when I needed some gas in the car or, back when I was a smoker, a pack of cigarettes. When I moved to California I’d go to Tijuana and buy one of those ceramic “Piggy” Banks you could always find on the road. After I got married I remember Shelly and I bought one in the design of a Big Mac. The kids were very young and we decided to always empty our pockets into the “Mac” at the end of each day. After a number of months we gathered in the Living Room and cracked it open. It was quite the family event as we had told the Kids we’d get them a surprise with the money we had in the “Mac”. We ended up with about three hundred dollars and we took the kids to Disneyland and we all had a great time.

I currently have one of those water bottles that I spoke of earlier. I empty my pockets of any change and drop it into it on a daily basis and it can quickly amass a decent amount of cash that can be used for anything I may need in a pinch. While I was out of work it was quite the savior for a number of “emergencies”. After a while there wasn’t much left and it had stopped serving any purpose except to take up some space in my room.

Getting back to work I’ve noticed a change in the bottle. The level is going back in the right direction and it’s getting more silver into it again. When you are constantly digging into it, the silver is the first to leave the confines and eventually, all you have left is the copper color of pennies. I actually do what I can to not spend any of the change I gather during the day. I like to empty my pockets and drop it into the bottle when I get home. Like I said, it’s the little things in life that get noticed.