As I began my morning with my abundance of prayer and meditation, I began to think, do coins really bring you good fortune?

My prayer for abundance, given to me by good friend and mentor, Carmen Perez, Your Well-Being Messenger, is recited with coins in your hand. The prayer is recited 3 times. My little twist is instead of the 3 coins; I hold a pearl oyster shell from Bora Bora filled with coins from various destinations I have visited. I have always been told that you will be sure to return if you keep money from your travels. As the years have proven, with yearly repeated trips back to Australia, this may actually hold some truth.

We have all heard, “Pick a penny up, and all day long, you will have good luck.” Do you pick pennies or coins up from the ground? I do. I have always associated finding money, sometimes quite larger than a penny, on the ground to be of good fortune. And, who hasn’t tossed a coin into a fountain or well and made a wish? Or have you heard of framing your first dollar made? What about a large bill kept in the wallet? Better yet, what about writing yourself a check for your future? Have you seen the interview Oprah did with Jim Carey, who did that very thing? Look at him today. I would say he received good fortune.

Where have some of these myths, legends, and superstitions originated from? In fact, most countries have some sort of story surrounded around coins that can lead you to greater prosperity. See if you are familiar with or practice any of these country’s traditions surrounding coins and good fortune.

The Russians believe that scattering coins all over your home will bring wealth. They say carry a coin in your pocket to attract other money.
Early Americans used bent silver coins to ward off witches. A silver dime used to be tossed into a churn to ensure a plentiful amount of butter.
Coins have always been popular with weddings, but probably the best known is the ritual with the English sixpence. The bride would (should) wear a coin in her left shoe to bring luck to the marriage.

When in Rome, do as the Romans do. Be sure to throw a coin in the fountain (The Trevi) for good fortune. The Romans have their own twist being sure to have their back facing the fountain and toss the coin/s over the shoulder with their right hand.

In Ireland, they keep a penny in their pocket. Like the Russians, they believe this act will bring them good fortune. On the seaside of western Ireland, there is an area where they encase the penny in marble and used in jewelry is said to be even luckier than the penny in the pocket.

In Greece, it is a firm belief that “money attracts money.” A wallet or purse as a gift would always be given with a coin or two in it. They believe as long as you have a few coins in your pocket you will never be penniless.
And of course, as we celebrate the New Year many countries find it customary to bake a special homemade loaf with a coin (or baby) inside. The person who gets the slice with the coin will be lucky the rest of the year, provided he doesn’t choke on it first.

Do you practice any of these superstitions? Do you have any others you practice besides those listed? If so, share them with us in the comments below. For me, I’m going to keep picking up those pennies, reciting my prayers, and practicing meditation for a happy and abundant life filled with good fortune.

Hi! I was inspired to write this the morning after the election when I opened up my social media accounts. The process is over, the votes have been cast, and the system we have played out, but we are still busy throwing stones. I have to say it has been one of the most painful years to watch from the sidelines as friends and family attacked one another for one of our basic freedoms…the freedom of choice.

Throughout the year, I made a very concentrated effort not to let the ugliness in or even engage in any political conversation. I did like a few social media posts here and there from both sides purely because some of them were quite amusing. No matter what side you were on, your own words resonated with me. I know you from all walks of life, a family who have known me all my life, friends I have found through the church, volunteer groups, school, and work, and those of you I service as clients. For those who tried to engage me, you often found me saying neither option is ideal or I haven’t decided or I don’t discuss politics. Unless I have actually given you a voiced answer, you don’t know who I voted for, do you? I think one of the “golden rules”  is never to discuss politics or religion. You know why? No matter what you think or feel, you will always piss at least 50% of the people off or make 50% of the people happy. It’s the law of nature.

So here is my question to you, “If you knew how I voted…..”

If you knew how I voted, would you still sit by me in church?
If you knew how I voted, would you still bowl with me?
If you knew how I voted, would you still sit down to a meal with me?
If you knew how I voted, would you still go out on ladies’ night with me?
If you knew how I voted, would you still sit next to me at a meeting or conference?
If you knew how I voted, would you still use me as your travel consultant?
If you knew how I voted, would you still want to hang out with me?

If you knew how I voted, would I still be me? The me you have known? The me you have laughed with, cried with, fallen with, traveled with, and worked with? Does who I voted for alter you and me?

The change this country needs is within each one of us. Check your reflection. What message are you sending?

What do I mean by mind your P’s and Q’s?

On a recent flight to Mexico, I was sadly made aware of how rude our society has become. I was on a United flight from Newark to Cancun at 8 am. The flight attendants on board were bubbly and friendly. One, in particular, caught my eye as she was very conversational with many of the passengers. Listening to her speak with the passengers in front of me we learned she was in her seventies, from Hawaii, and still had 9 kids living at home. She didn’t look a day over 60, and needless to say, we were all shocked when she shared her age.

Later in the flight during the in-service, she was the one who happened to serve me. The standard “What would you like to drink?”. I said, “May I have a ginger ale, please.” Her response completely caught me off guard when she thanked me for my manners. She told me it is not very often that anyone uses the word please anymore and that I was very well-mannered. I was shocked.

Is please not an automatic word to use when requesting something?

After hearing this, I decided to keep my ears open through the rest of the flight and service. And oddly enough, she was right. Almost no one was using their manners. I even heard her voice again from the back compliment another passenger like myself. All I could think was have we really strayed so far from our common roots that I am sure most all of us were taught as children.
If your parents didn’t teach you, then certainly using good manners was posted in some cute poster form and practiced by your teachers at school. Seriously, how hard is it to remember words such as please, thank you, and excuse me? Obviously, one simple word can totally change your interaction with a stranger or even a friend. Have we not all grown up hearing, “one kind word can change someone’s entire day”?

For those of us who have forgotten, or get to busy in our lives to remember here is a list of things we learned as toddlers that should never be forgotten:

Use good manners every day.

Say “please”, “thank you”, “excuse me”, “you’re welcome”
Respect others, particularly those elder
Be kind to others
Respect other people’s property
Help keep a clean environment.
Treat others the way you wish to be treated.
Greet people with “Hi” and “How are you?”
Put your electronics down when speaking with someone.
Open doors for others
SMILE
The next time you’re on a flight, standing in line, or out shopping, I challenge you to use your manners and see if you can brighten someone’s day!