A Penny for My Thoughts

How much is freedom worth?

By Chris Dunmire

Lots of people want to do away with pennies these days. For many, the penny is little more than a nuisance, a worthless 1-cent coin they’d rather just round up to a nickel and forget about. After dipping into (and contributing back to) the “take a penny” dish a few times at the market recently I completely understand the desire to simplify.

When I was a kid, a penny could get me a gumball from the machine at the grocery store on the way out to the car — a big deal to a 6-year-old. I'd eagerly ask my mom after she'd been handed her loose change, “Ma, can I have a penny?”

Now I routinely find pennies scattered on the pavement in parking lots. People drop them on the ground because they don’t want them, and others don't think they're worth enough to bend over and pick up. I've heard that it's good luck to find a penny lying on the ground face-up. Speaking of worth, have you ever possessed something mundane, that suddenly increased in value just by thinking differently about it? Kids and pets do it all the time with their toys when a sibling or rival comes around. That ignored plastic thing on the floor suddenly turns into coveted gold just to keep it out of the hands (or paws) of another.

Creative thinking has this effect on me and it's exactly what happened with me and the lowly penny after I traveled to Springfield, Illinois, this weekend to take in some local history.

I'll explain...

Look at the face of a penny. Who's profile appears on the coin with the word LIBERTY just behind his shoulders?

Yes, Abraham Lincoln was the 16th President of the United States, known for delivering the Gettysburg Address and hard-won victories like the Civil War and the Emancipation Proclamation. Before he became President, Lincoln was a practicing lawyer with an office in Springfield. His writing and speeches are legendary.

Sometimes it’s easy to look at historical figures carved in metal and stone and forget that they were human. When we look upon the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, we see a man sitting rather dignified enveloped in high expectations, perhaps forgetting that Abraham was also a husband, father, community leader, and neighbor. He had deep sensitivity and a sense of humor. He had a lazy eye from childhood and struggled with depression.

You see the years take their toll on Abraham's face in photos taken just before and during his short tenure in office. Although re-elected for a second term, his work was not easy and his personal life was riddled with challenges. The country was in turmoil and many opposed his leadership. Lincoln lost two children early to death (a third one would die later) and had a complex relationship with his wife Mary. When Lincoln finally breathed some relief after the Civil War ended, a bullet from an assassin's gun cut his life short at the age of 56 during a night out at the theatre.

Before my visit to the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Museum in Springfield this weekend, I knew the historical outline of Lincoln's life mostly from childhood history books — from stories I couldn't very much relate to in school. I needed to grow up to really start getting this stuff. Lincoln wasn't just a tall stove pipe hat-wearing president with a beard who grew up in a log cabin. His life was rich with layers just like mine. The upside to aging is that I have more perspective on cause-and-effect and find it fascinating to learn how the threads of this fabric have been sewn together.

There's a lot of sadness in Lincoln's life story. Yet, what Lincoln helped accomplish 146 years ago has direct bearing on how political and social issues have evolved over the last century in our country. The unthinkable institution of slavery has crumbled in the United States and we are still healing in the aftermath of its rubble.

Taking in Springfield's historical sights, we also enjoyed a walking tour through the Lincoln family home were the Lincoln's lived for 17 years before he became President. Standing in Abe's bedroom around his 4-post bed (Mrs. Lincoln had her own bedroom), our guide directed us to a small writing desk in the corner of the room where Lincoln undoubtedly spent hours composing his thoughts on paper, creating a legacy in written word. His writing was artfully beautiful. I wondered quietly to myself how many nights Lincoln lied awake staring up at the ceiling from his bed thinking about the future. What would he think of things today?

So now I don't see a mere 1-cent piece when I look at a penny. Instead, I see how far we’ve come as a nation since 1865 because of the man on the coin with the word LIBERTY at his back. We're evolving, us humans, and to see how far we've come, think about all that has changed in only two lifetimes since Lincoln was in office. We’re on the right track and this railroad will never go underground again. “Change” wasn't Abe's campaign slogan, but we got plenty of it. Think about that the next time you get pennies back with your change.

Interestingly, the Lincoln Museum has several of those souvenir penny machines that, for 51 cents, will squish and re-stamp your ordinary penny with the museum’s name and Lincoln’s likeness. Amused by the irony I turned to my husband of 20 years and said, “We already have Lincoln stamped on our pennies!” And with that, my ordinary pocket pennies instantly turned into souvenirs and went up 50 cents in value.

Coming full-circle, upon our arrival for an overnight stay at the Mansion View Inn in downtown Springfield (it's a neat hotel across from the Govenor's Mansion), we parked just in time for the 3pm check-in. On exiting our vehicle guess what little coin gleamed in the sunshine lying face-up next to our car in the lot? You got it. •

© 2011 Chris Dunmire. All rights reserved.