I was pondering today as I walked out of my lab, about a conversation I had with Daryl many moons ago.
One crisp morning as we loaded papers into our crates we discussed finding money and how if you find $20 you are then always up $20. This was the flip side of the thought that if you drop (and loose) a $20 note, no matter what you do, you will never make back that $20. From that day, you will always be $20 down1.
This was revisited in my mind as I walk from my lab 30 minutes before it was to end. My day was to be 10 to 4 of straight class. So, by walking out of the class half an hour early, I had effectively found 30 minutes. I was up 30 minutes for the day. That time was free as I had nothing to do in the lab and the lab was what I was going to be spending the time on.
Just a thought I had over my unplanned lunch break.
1. The process going, that you could work to earn the $20 back, but then if you hadn't lost the $20 note, you would have $40. It's not an overly profound or intellectual realization, but then again, Daryl and I were never the sharpest or deepest tools in the box.
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2 comments:
What if you lost $20 when you were 12 years old but by the time you were 15 you had forgotten about it. And one day when you were 19 you were walking down the street and found $10. You'd be happy right? But are you still down $10 or are you up $10?
Good question. It's like when you pay for something long in advance, the when you actually go it feels like you're going for free.
So you would actually be down ten, up you would feel like you are up.
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