Mike Daisey: The bard of personal finance - at the Public Theater

The glass bowl filled to the rim with dollar bills didn't look like any old tip jar. Resting on the wood table behind which Mike Daisey had just performed his monologue "The Last Cargo Cult" at the Public Theater in New York, the bowl of money seemed to glow.

The green never looked so green. The paper never looked so crisp. It was beautiful, really, the way the bills rested on top of each other. For those of us who worry about paying the bills every day, Daisey's show is a refreshing, laughter-inducing eye opener about money.

One point we all need to hear now and then (especially as we think about end of year charity gifts and buying presents for family and friends) is that the dollar value of money doesn't always matter. This was the meaning of the bowl of money, at least for me.