A Pleasant Surprise (Or, Running Pays)

My morning runs are usually fairly predictable. I may vary the route a little but I’m always in the same basic neighborhood so I see the same stores, restaurants, and houses. I even see the same potholes and cracks in the streets. So last week, when I turned the corner and saw something laying in the street near the curb up ahead, I kept my eye on it as I approached. At first I thought it was just paper or trash, but I quickly could tell it was a dollar bill. As I stopped and bent over to pick it up I was surprised to see it was actually $20 bill! I looked around but at 6:45am on a side street there was no one around, I had just passed a gas station so I looked back there but no one was in sight. I felt bad keeping it but there was literally no one to give it to. As soon as I started running again I saw something else in the street just ahead. A few strides later as I got closer I could tell it was another dollar bill. Then, when I bent to pick it up I couldn’t believe it was another $20 bill! Now I really felt bad that I coulds not return the money to someone but I must admit I was also excited about finding $40.

There are many benefits to running but I hadn’t thought that finding money would be one of them.