Buried Pennies on Leap Day

Do Something Insane or Insanely Awesome

Let's be honest.  The 29th of February doesn't exist.

I realize that February got the shaft when they handed out days to all of the months.  But honestly, Calendar, do you think that February feels any better about itself when it gets a bonus day once every four years?  That’s like Archie Manning giving Cooper a pat on the back once every four years and expecting him to believe that he loves him as much as Peyton and Eli.

Did you even know there was a third Manning?

Again, I say – the 29^th of February doesn’t exist.

And we should treat it as such.

I will explain what I mean in the form of a challenge:

You should live your life on the 29^th of February as if it isn't a real day. 

Sure, you can go to your job, take care of your kids, and watch your favorite television shows.

But do just one thing out of the ordinary.

Partake in one completely random and pointless activity.  For example:

 

• Having absolutely no intention of buying a new car, go to a car dealership and test drive one. 
• Walk into a McDonalds and ask if they have hot dogs.
• Stand in an elevator as close to the back wall as possible, facing the wall.  Don't turn around for any reason.
• Walk into Staples, grab a pen, and hand it to the cashier.  When she says "one fifty," sheepishly hand her two dollars.  When she gives you your change, coyly ask, "Can I take the pen now?"  When she says yes, smile delightedly and say, "That was easy!" and leave.
• Go to a crowded area with a doll or teddy bear.  Dance with it or beat the shit out of it.  Your choice.

Or do something random, but not as pointless:

• Go to your local library and find a book by simply walking through the aisles.  Then sit down and read the first twenty pages.
• Go to an early morning mass of a religion that is not your own.  
• Watch a movie by yourself at the theater.

Or, (and I like this option the best) do something awesome. 

• Volunteer at a homeless shelter. 
• Tutor a kid.
• Volunteer at an animal shelter.
• Donate money to a worthy charity. 
• Buy a pizza or a hamburger for a homeless person on the street. 

The important rule is that you tell nobody about what you did.

Nobody.

It is a secret between you and yourself.

*   *   *

When I was a very little kid, I would sometimes bury pennies in the backyard or at the playground. 

I used a stick to dig a small hole, then placed the penny inside and covered it up, making a mental picture of exactly where it was buried.  I then imagined myself as a grown man, coming back and digging up my treasure.  

It was kinda like this.

 

I’m not sure why Little Youngman thought it was a good idea to hide pennies.  I’m equally unsure why Little Youngman thought that Big Youngman would take the time to come back to dig up the pennies.

Apparently, Big Youngman would be very broke.

But regardless of my intentions, the fact remains that I put long-term investments into the ground.

Being too concerned for their well-being as well as too impatient, however, I typically dug them back up the next day.

*   *   *

Today, these memories are faded, but what is still very tangible is the feeling I got when I thought about my buried pennies while they were in the ground.  They were… mine.

I had toys that were my own.  Sure.

But those buried pennies were mine. 

Because I was the only person in the world that knew their location.  I was the only person who could dig them up.  And not only was I the only person who knew where they were, but I was the only person who knew that the buried secrets existed at all.

It was a secret that belonged to me, and to me alone.  It was a good feeling.  It was a powerful feeling.

If you do something random on Leap Day like test drive a car, then you have probably done something silly and pointless, but you have still stepped out of your ordinary life for a moment.  Perhaps it was exciting.  Perhaps it was stupid.  But either way, it doesn’t matter because you did it on a day that doesn’t exist.  And nobody knows about it.  It is your own buried penny.

And if you do something awesome like anonymously donate your time or money, you will feel great -- especially because you can be positive that you did it completely unselfishly. 

And that is worth much more than a penny.

-Youngman Brown

Leap Day may have passed, but you don't have to wait four years to do something insane or insanely awesome.  Go and do it.  Just don't tell anyone.