Loose Change

Did you know that the total amount of loose change scooped up by TSA officials at airports in 2019, before the pandemic, was an impressive $926,030.44. Unclaimed money is deposited into a special account where it can be tracked easily and Section 44945 of title 49, United States Code, grants the TSA budget authority to spend it. On September 30, 2019, the TSA had $3,618,696 available from loose change alone! (I could use some of that!) 

I like loose change, and I’m not too proud to pick up coins left on the pavement. Some coins are still bright and shiny, and easily seen in parking lots. Others are so tarnished they are the same color as the dirt on the payment. Some are bent and pitted and broken around the edges, from cars driving over them. But they all add up, don’t they? So one day I wondered how many lost coins I could find and, if combined with the change I get from cash purchases, whether I could do something special with the stash. I found a special container and started collecting. My husband got into the collection mode as well, and we agreed to use our “loose change savings” for special outings on our trips – like carriage rides, boat rentals, train rides, entry into theme parks, or fuel (even though I was thinking more along the line of new instruments). 

Now what about you? Are you passing by, without a second thought, musical opportunities – clearly available like the loose change I find on the ground? Are they, like lost coins, forgotten or passed over without a second thought? For example …

• Dulcimer concerts and festivals
• QuaranTUNE Virtual Dulcimer Festivals
• YouTube dulcimer videos (both performance and teaching)
• Online dulcimer schools (like Dulcimer Crossing)
• Fellowship with like-minded folks in your own town
• Front porch or community center jam sessions

Take advantage of every bit of “loose musical change” you can find.   Start making lists of musical opportunities. There’s some good resources out there that you’re missing out on!

Happy dulcimering,
Linda