Citizenship

A MoneyWalker is a good citizen. My walks are brisk and focused. I want to maintain my target heart rate while being ever vigilant for those elusive coins that temporarily reside in curbs, parking lots, and return slots. So, during yesterday’s week-end walk, in the middle of a sometimes busy intersection, two stylish women in a new SUV, called out for my attention. “Can you help us; we are looking for so and so breakfast cafe?” “First, can we please move to the curb out of the intersection?” “Do you know the name or the address?” “No, we think it starts with an F.” “Could you be talking about The Ruby Slipper, it was recently featured as a trendy breakfast café?” “Yes, that was it, The Ruby Slipper.” I gave directions and off they went, while I strived to recapture my MoneyWalker mojo. Yet, I took some degree of pleasure knowing that I had helped these two damsels complete their quest for a pleasurable outing. It is what a good citizen does.

As a MoneyWalker I experience frequent opportunities to demonstrate good citizenship. Recently I found a cell phone, hopelessly lost in a remote parking lot. Still charged, I went to their directory, located Pawpaw’s number, and gave it a ring. Bingo, it was his daughter-in-law’s business phone, and she had spent hours looking for it. Another time, it was a lost driver’s license. Our state requires a residential address, so 44¢ later, off it went (no return address on my envelope provided.) Still another time, a lost jacket contained a worker’s visa from one or our Katrina heroes from Honduras. No address, but it did contain a business card of a Honduran business man. Another 44¢ with a brief note of explanation and my phone if someone wants to call for the jacket.

Then there is eye contact and speaking to your neighbor as your paths cross on the streets. It breaks focus, but it is worthy behavior of a good citizen. I sometimes remove dangerous objects from the street such as nails or tree limbs. Citizenship opportunities are infrequent and ad hoc, but very soul stimulating when they occur. It is a residual benefit of the MoneyWalker experience. When you walk, practice good citizenship as it presents itself.

Moneywalker