Past, Presents, Future

One of my older brothers does some pretty odd stuff sometimes. He always has what he thinks is a good idea, but it just comes off as strange. One time I caught him putting a 20 dollar bill in his jacket pocket as he was hanging it in his hall closet. I asked him why he was doing that, and he said, "Oh, that's just a gift to future Me." He figured that if he put the money in his jacket and stored it away until next winter, he'd have forgotten about it and be pleasantly surprised when the next cold front blew in. So my older brother likes to leave presents for his future self. And you may think that's really weird, but let me assure you... it is really weird.

I mean, I understand the concept. I love finding money I didn't know about. It's like a miniature Christmas gift. ("Hey, what's that in my back pocket? Five bucks? Sweet! Taco Bell, here I come!") Just last month my wife found a Target giftcard in a baby bag from when our son was born three years ago. We felt like middle-class millionaires, buying whatever we wanted without a second thought. So I know how cool it is to find something like that. But to leave it for yourself on purpose? That's weird. I guess it's the same concept as a savings bond, but you don't hide savings bonds in your jackets. But if you're gonna do it with money, why stop there? Why not have a coworker hide a candy bar in your desk after you leave one day? Or put some potatoes in the oven at 3:00 in the afternoon, just in case you have a craving for baked potatoes in a few hours. So, I guess I've convinced myself that it's a good idea, now. I'm gonna hide a bunch of stuff in random places, so I can find it later and be pleasantly surprised.

I guess the only real problem with that is if you're too forgetful. I know that my brother is really forgetful, so I just went through his hall closet the next time I was at his house and cleaned him out. I found 120 dollars and an almost expired Butterfinger. And he never found out. It was like robbing an amnesia victim. He did once ask how I paid for my new shoes, but I just told him it was a gift from past Taylor.