So often one runs across trays in neighborhood convenience stores with pennies that are free for the taking. Sometimes they are mass-made vacuum-formed boxes with “Take a Penny, Leave a Penny” stamped on the side. Even more often are handmade trays, homespun sentiments from the storeowner. When I need a penny, I don’t question what type of person left the penny or how I’m supposed to use it. In kind, I don’t leave a penny to be used for only “certain” types of people. I delight in the idea that this smallest gesture, or economy of kindness, is entirely off the books.