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Editor's Notes

• #4: I caught a flight home after spending 5 weeks in Florida with the military. When I sat down I pulled out this little green frog I got from my son. It travels with me everywhere I go. It’s name is ‘frog’. I am a simple minded person. I sat down and pulled the frog out of my pocket and was thinking about seeing my family when I heard a small girl talking with her mother. I looked over and saw this girl (must have been about 7—my son is 8). And she was staring at me, then the frog, then me, then the frog. “What’s that for”, she asked me. I said, “It reminds me of home which is where I am going.” “Oh”, she said and returned to her mother. I asked her if she was returning home and she said no. They were on a connecting flight to go to Johns-Hopkins for her to get her 3 month check up. She was receiving cancer treatment and this trip is a regular event. “Flying always makes me sick.”, she said. And I thought GREAT. I checked for THE bag. I had one, but you know it looks really small, really…like a giant envelop, what is it really gonna hold? I thought to myself, if she gets sick I am gonna get sick. I have seen bad wrecks, I have seen military combat…some really be scenes, but seeing vomit…and I can do nothing, but get sick myself. I can just see it…her getting sick, me getting sick, then her, then others around us, then me again. You get the picture.I tried to turn to my book, but you know thinking about getting sick and this sweet girl…I reached into my pocket and pulled out a penny. I was fumbling with it enough for her to see me…then I pressed it behind my left ear and pushed hard for several seconds…until she asked me, “What are you doing with that penny?”“You haven’t heard about the penny?”, I asked her. She looked up to her mother who was giving me a quizzical look.I said, “In the military, there is an old trick that my old Sergeant Major taught me. See, there is copper in the penny. If you hold it behind your ear for several seconds the copper moves into your skin. The copper acts with Serotonin which moves into your inner ear setting your balance and keeps you from getting nauseas. The zinc and magnesium in the penny react with the Topin in the brain to help your mind and body rest. It is amazing! I handed her mother the penny and she placed in behind the girl’s ear. She said, “I hope it works.”I mumbled to myself, “me too!”The flight went off without a hitch. We landed a few short hours later and I was thinking about my family again. As I gathered my carry-on I had a tap on my shoulder. I looked around at the girl who was smiling at me. “Here is your penny back.” I said, “keep it.” You will be making many more flights and I want you to not have to worry yourself about your flights any more. She thanked me. She then asked how frog managed the flight. I said, “Frog asked me if he could spend some time with you…he thinks you could use the company.” A huge smile spread across her face.<<I can always get another frog>>As we exited the plan there was another tap on my shoulder. An older gentleman was looking at me with a queried expression on his face.He said, “Son, I retired from the military after 32 years, and I wonder why no one ever told me about the penny.” And he headed towards baggage claim.Imagine if I had said “It’s not my job” to that little girl?