An extra $500 lying around

My god, 10 years ago, what I would have given for an extra $500 "lying around."

Today, it's some cash I have hidden away in a poetry book. Specifically for a day when or if I need to pay movers.

Years ago, it would have felt like a very great something. Today, it doesn't feel like anything. (Seriously: If you're living in a one-room apartment, it's major; if you have a decent job, it doesn't mean anything.)

$100 birthday bill from my mother a couple of years ago.
$100 bet won from my brother upon Trump's election. (Ha!)
Rest, petty cash from various Chinese college students and scholars that I've edited papers for over the past few years.