Worth It

Mia Rayne was a girl who didn’t have much in the way of “good luck.” She was always late, her car always broke down at the worst of times, and when it came time to spend money? Well, there was no money to spend. Every once in a blue moon, she’d be able to scrape together a few coins to get herself a scratch-off lotto ticket with the hopes that she’d win just enough to get herself out of financial hardship, at least for a little while.

On a day like any other, Mia’s car happened to be in the shop, and forever restless, she decided that a walk was in order. That’s when she found it. A small black notebook tucked under a lively tree, its branches beckoning for her to come over and investigate its mysteries as a gentle breeze worked its way through Mia’s long auburn hair. Not one to ever say no to a good mystery, especially since they were so rare in her life, Mia walks over to the tree, exploring the intricacies of the bark as she walks around it, and finally plopping down in its shade. Almost magically, the notebook slid into her hand from under a leaf and Mia was surprised to find it empty, a pen already inside, almost pleading with her to use it.

Several people have told Mia in the past that journaling would be a good idea to try and get out of her head. She chews on her lower lip as she takes her pen, thinking carefully before putting pen to paper. What if someone saw her innermost thoughts and desires? What if this all just proved that she was crazier than she could have imagined? So instead, Mia decided a wishlist was in order. A simple and generic list of things Mia felt would help her get her life back on track. Money, of course, was the first thing that popped into her mind and so, that was the first thing that went under her list:

Money - Enough to climb out of debt and live comfortably.

Mia didn’t want to be filthy rich. Growing up, she found that wealth often corrupted those it consumed, destroyed relationships of all sorts, and just generally left a path of destruction in its wake. Money was never an issue until her adult life rolled around and poor life choices pointed her in the direction of a trench with no way to get out. Relief would come now and again, but the more positive things happened, there was always something to balance the scales waiting around the corner.

As Mia contemplated her life and her journey to that very moment, a sudden lump in the pocket of her shorts made her feel it and pull out the contents of her pocket, which started this journey empty. A wad of bills come out in her hand and Mia’s eyes widen as she counts. Twenty thousand dollars. Enough to get out of debt, enough for a decent used car, and enough to start climbing out of the pit she was in. Tears of happiness flowed down her cheeks as she thought of how much the money would help her. Everything was going to be ok, everything. Standing up and brushing herself off, Mia leaves the notebook for the next person to find. Sharing, after all, was caring and Mia didn’t like the idea of having such a powerful magical item in her possession. Especially if it was a gift from the tree, waving at her as she leaves. The breeze that follows her almost whispers as she turns the corner and she can’t help but smile as she hears the message, “Make it worth it.”

“I will,” Mia whispers back. Smiling, she makes her way downtown, with a sudden feeling that despite all the bad, there were still good things happening to good people.