It was recess time and some kindergarten kids playing at the playground hovered around me as I was shutting the gate on my way out. Outdoor, unmasked, their happy faces glowed in the sun.
Then one girl grabbed my hand and placed a quarter on it. Surprised, I asked, “Are you giving this to me?”
“Yes”, she said with a smile.
For a moment I silently debated whether I should keep it or not. “Why?” I asked. She looked at me, and with seriousness said, “So you can buy something for yourself.”
I looked at the coin in my hand — and never felt so poor in my entire life, and yet felt so rich at the same time. I was gifted with extravagant generosity, no “string-attached” abandon, unexpected, and I felt tenderly cared for. It flowed freely from a child’s pure heart, and all the quarters in the world can’t buy that.
I looked up to say “thank you”, but she had already ran back to her friends.