45 cents doesn’t seem like a lot to most people but it has become a very special number to me.
I was performing at the Garfield Park Farmers Market when a group of late elementary to early middle school aged boys rode up on their bikes to come and watch me play. After standing there for some time one of the boys decided he wanted to give me something for my performance. After checking in his pockets and found they were empty he turned to his friends and took up a collection. After he had gone to each one of his friends he then approached me and handed me what he had collected. I would find, after my show, that it was 45 cents.
Money is something that’s a necessity for all of us. It’s what allows us to buy food, clothes and keep a roof over our heads. For kids, I’ve found, money tends to be highly precious to them. It’s something that is given to them through the generosity of the adults they know. Anytime a person decides to gift me with some of their money through ticket sales, merchandise sales and/or put some money in my tip jar it means the world to me. But when a kid chooses to give me what little they have instead of saving it for a toy, game, candy or some other item they desire it tells me that my performance meant as much to them as any of the other items that could have purchased. That knowledge will stay in my heart for the rest of my life.