Edit desk: The meaning of a dime

Everyone has their good luck charm — something that gives them a sense of comfort. For me, that comes in the form of small, round, silver dimes.

Gabrielle Falk

You may be thinking, What? They’re just coins. But to me, dimes hold a bigger meaning than just 10 cents. 

A camp counselor from my summer camp shared with me and my friends that, when his dad passed away, he would begin to find dimes and felt as though they were sent from his dad. When he shared this story with friends, more often than not, they would begin finding dimes themselves. 

There seems to be a common theme in ghost tales worldwide — the finding of dimes at random and people feeling as though they are sent from their loved ones who have passed. 

While I thought the story was interesting, I didn’t think much of it until dimes started to pop up every once in a while in my life – in very obscure places. 

It started with the not-so-wild places, such as a lonesome dime falling out with my laundry, and pausing for a moment while thinking, There must have just been a dime left in my pocket.

Over time, the dimes I was finding seemed as though they were truly placed for me to find. One would be hidden under a cup on my desk that I normally do not pick up, but for some reason I did, and a dime would reveal itself. I would find dimes strategically placed next to me while I tied my shoe, placed perfectly in the middle of my floor or at my table in FML. 

While these experiences were strange, they were not jaw dropping. While maybe they were just dimes, I would still smile everytime I found one.  

I would find dimes in times when I was feeling down, stressed or lonely. I took them as signs that everything would be okay and work out as it should, and that there was someone out there looking out for me. 

Ever since I heard the dime story, I have found over 100 dimes, and I am still filled with the same sense of happiness every time I find one. 

One day last spring, my friend and I went on a run to the SteelStacks. It was a beautiful day, we were nearing the end of the school year, and were in high spirits. As we ran along the metal grates of the walkway, we decided to do lunges to add to our workout. As I lunged and looked down, I saw a dime staring up at me from below the metal grate. 

I shrieked and told my friend about the dime that I found, and she laughed at me, as these tiny silver objects got me overly excited way too often. 

At that moment, it was hard to deny the dime was not for me. If we had not been lunging, I would have had no reason to be looking down and seeing what was below the grates of the SteelStack walkway. 

When I am screaming over finding a dime, as if I had just found a lonesome $100 bill, I often share my dime story with anyone and everyone who is willing to listen. More times than not, I will be sent photos from friends with the random places they have found dimes and an excited note.

Whether the dimes are just a coincidence or I simply put dimes higher on my radar, I’ll never know. Maybe they are sent from the universe as a sign of good luck, or maybe they are just randomly placed dimes. 

Especially during difficult times like now, it is more important than ever to find comfort in the little things. Whether that is a beautiful walk in the sunshine, game night with your family or a Zoom catch up with your friends, the smallest things can bring us a smile while it seems the world is falling apart.

Who knows, maybe now you will find your own comfort in the form of a silver Franklin Roosevelt.  

Gabrielle Falk is the deputy news editor for The Brown and White. She can be reached at [email protected].