Creative writing submission from the Rest Less community – submit your entry here.
What’s the value of a penny? Already, you’ll be thinking that a penny is of either little or no value.
What if you had a choice? Would you prefer a shiny new penny or an old, rusted one? I’d choose the old, dirty one. I’d show that penny my appreciation. Wow, I found a penny. Isn’t that good luck? What’s the value of your penny?
While walking along my street to catch public transport (at a cost of 200 pennies), kicking away the discarded street rubbish and dog poo, I find a penny. I pick up the penny and wipe it on my jeans. I’m curious. I examine it. Is this a British penny? Or a foreign coin of a similar size and colour, which has perhaps travelled the world, only to be missed, dropped, lost, forgotten, or discarded?
I hold my hand out to stop and board my bus. With my penny in hand, I look up at all the other passengers overflowing around me. A 10-minute journey takes us all to the same destination. At this moment, this is my world. We travel together like coins in a purse.
This is my purse. This is my bank. Not pennies but people. Some clean, shiny, and new, and some old, dirty, and rusting. Some are UK currency and some foreign. I remind myself that we all have the same value. We are all worth more than just one penny. Together, we amount to priceless.
As I look around, I consider: what’s a penny worth? What’s a person worth? What’s the value of humanity?
When my autistic son was young, and not progressing well at school, I had a sort of penny problem. Do I keep him at his beautiful, shiny, new school dedicated exclusively to children with autism or do I send him to the old, dull, public school that offered special needs classes, which would allow him to slowly explore the neurotypical world of others?
I held two pennies in my hand. One shiny and the other dull. They were both good schools, but I saw their values differently. I chose the latter.
The true value of changing my son’s school was worth more than a penny. It was priceless. Every student was valued equally. It encouraged and allowed my son to shine like a brand-new penny.
In our purses of life, we should save to be better. To better our awareness, discovery, curiosity, understanding, and acceptance, and to recognise what the reality is, be we shiny or dull, no matter who you are or where you’re from, our value is the same.
Each is worth more than a penny. Together, we are priceless.
Are you feeling creative? We are proud to have a hugely talented community on Rest Less, which is why we’re so excited to open up a section of the site dedicated to showcasing the wonderful and diverse writing of our members. If you have a piece of creative writing that you’d like to share with the Rest Less community – you can do so here.