There’s math, and then there’s magic math.
In the first kind, sums are tidy, predictable, and remain neatly where you put them. The ledger is quiet, its straight lines creating orderly little cages for the well-behaved numbers that slumber there.
In the second kind, sums shimmer and disappear, reappearing in another country, another pocketbook, another story. There are no straight lines. But amazingly, in magic math, nothing is ever lost.
A few weeks ago, I did a show at the Irish Cultural Center. Afterwards, I counted up the money from book and CD sales and found it short by $5. Either I made a mistake – which is entirely possible, given my “playful” relationship with numbers – or someone else did. Either way, I wasn’t too fussed.
About a week later, a note came from a very kind person who had attended the show, bought a CD, and only discovered later that she’d taken an extra $5 when she made her own change. (My merch table is self-service, which leaves me free to chat with everyone).
What should she do?
I wrote back to her,
Pay it forwards to someone – maybe a street performer, or a kid who needs a little luxury in her life. Or if YOU need a little luxury, go out for a double macchiato with whip in a mug (or whatever you love – though you might owe Starbuck’s something for that beyond the $5 🙂
She sent this wonderful reply:
Well, I’ll tell you what. I bought the CD for Mary. She is 93 years old and almost the most important person in my life. She used to take care of me when I was young. I’ll give the fiver to her for when she gets to go out. Sometimes the nursing home takes her on an adventure. I’ll tell her it’s straight from the old sod and she’ll have good luck with it.
Sheer delight, right? Much better than just having her mail me a five-dollar-bill!
But wait: there’s more.
This weekend I did a show in Scarborough, ME, and when I counted up the merch money, guess how much it was OVER?
You guessed it. $5!
That’s magic music money math. It’s alive, unpredictable, wild, a little fey – and really, really FUN!
Kate, might the Good Folk have been playing tricks on you?
Dave, I think it’s very likely!