A penny there on the path, the made-up path by non-conforming pedestrians who won’t take the official planned sidewalk, and I don’t pick it up. I would pick it up from a marble floor – someone could slip on it.

It would be worth a penny. It would be useful to avoid receiving four pennies in change.

The penny, having been dropped for its lack of value or a hole in a pocket, might mean something to you if you picked it up. Just don’t assume it’s supernatural that the year corresponds to a life event of someone who’s watching you from the sky. What if it doesn’t? Will you toss the coin? You can’t write to Dear Abby any more, to tell her you found a penny with no significant date on it.

On second thought, an imagined message sounds better than any real message from real life. Yes, there are useful messages, every first Wednesday there’s a voice in the sky telling us the siren is just a test, otherwise we’d be asking around why the siren, which could be, after all, your only chance of talking to a real person.

On further thought, you can make new meaning. Don’t feel restrained by tradition. The penny may be better aligned than the planets – after all, it is grounded – to give you sensible advice. And when in doubt, you can toss the penny to decide for you.