Funny Money.

The birds are singing outside the window and morning summertime light is coming. And I have the sense that everything is going to be alright today.

I went to bed not feeling quite that alright. I was worried and stressed and tired and anxious and, for all of that, I couldn't sleep.

I have $16.49 in my bank account.

I need to register for summer classes.

I need to pay for summer classes before I register.

I'd like more hours at work, but can't have them until June 18th.

My gas light came on last night.

And I'm running low on coffee beans (perhaps the real tragedy of it all…).

I woke up this morning and laughed at my nighttime self - so much worry, so much complaint, so little sleep … and all over silly things like pennies and dollars. There is something therapeutic about laughing, you know, especially at yourself.

When I cleaned up yesterday's dishes only to realize that I had finished the last of my breakfast food yesterday morning, I laughed. When I checked by email to find a low-balance notification from my bank, I laughed. When I used the last of my coffee beans this morning, I laughed (okay, maybe that time I cried a little bit). When I emptied my tattoo fund of the whole $6.72 it contained to put some gas in my tank to get to work today, I laughed.

Life is silly, you know? Money is sillier still.

It's funny, isn't it?


Funny that I'm going to eat black beans for breakfast and hope to eat dinner with the kids I sit for. Funny that my bank thinks $16.49 is a low balance when last week it hit $0.00. It's funny that to buy a prescription last night for six whole bucks I had to check my account, and funnier that when I realized my roommate had the same prescription and offered to share it with me, I thought for a moment about saying yes.

My life is a little ridiculous. Yes, the empty wallet and useless debit card are sometimes overwhelming and often press a sigh from me. But, this morning at least, I'm finding it all quite entertaining.

Because I'm realizing my favorite things ever are totally free.

Like crawling in bed with Molls late at night to plan a birthday party for Annie. (shhh, don't tell…)

Like holding Austin's hand and squeezing it when something is funny, but not socially appropriate to laugh at aloud.

Like laying on the floor of Jessica's new apartment because there's no furniture, and having the most hysterical conversations this campus has seen.

Like trying to talk to little brother Caleb on the phone, though he still doesn't understand that I cannot hear him nod.

So, if you were sitting with me in this messy little dorm room, I would raise this, my last little mug of coffee, to you. I would say, Here's to laughing at our attempts at adulthood, our overdrawn accounts, our hot dogs for lunch and black beans for breakfast. Here's to being broke and happy. To the little free things that make life so stinking wonderful. Here's to laughing …


Happy Thursday, friends!