Bald Money

I’m making a lot of money now that I’m bald. I shaved this head of mine for a play. I shaved it again when this play was performed in a festival on the weekend. Well, the play, Waiting For Godot, won the festival and will go on to another festival. So I’ll be shaving my head again in May.

If you haven’t shaved your head before, you can’t imagine the relief it is pack your shampoo, hair goop, hair dryer, and hair brush away under the bathroom sink. It’s like never having to wear clothes again, except that my head is a lot more attractive than the rest of me.

There are the “omygodshehascancer” looks. I mentioned these before. On a good day I only get asked about chemo once or twice. And the looks? I just don’t care as much anymore, except to send silent thoughts of love to my friends who do have cancer, and to their beautiful, bald noggins.

The new thing is the money.

My lovely man and I compete to see who can find the most street money during the day. Pennies, dimes, quarters. We find them in parking lots and on our walks with the dog, mostly. We scream when we find pennies. It reminds us that the universe is generous and abundant.  Every single coin goes into the found-money vase at home. I haven’t counted it, but I’ll bet it’d buy a lunch for us.

Since shaving my head, I’m so far ahead in this competition that he’ll never catch up.

I shop for groceries at No Frills, where you pay 25 cents for a cart. You get your quarter back by returning the cart after you’ve filled your trunk.

Here’s what’s happening. These days, I get out of my car, and on the way across the parking lot to the store, someone offers me their cart. The grocery store etiquette, in this situation, is to give them a quarter. Saves them returning the cart, saves me going to the cart area to get my own.

Except now, they won’t take my quarter. They think, she’s got cancer, I’ll help her out, here’s a cart.

It’s amazing. I take the cart back to the cart line, retrieve the quarter, and pick up the little carry basket I always use for groceries.

I made 75 cents the other day, just getting into the store and back.

I love this. It makes me want to yell thanks out to the universe to realize that many, many of us are generous, anonymously kind, and looking out for each other.

I’ll buy lunch for some stranger, soon, thanks to your generosity.

Thanks for the conversation,

kristin