Value Before Currency
Magic, Money, Faith, New Haven, and the art of the comeback

Hey friends,

This week I want to talk about exchange.

Not just money — but value.
What we give. What we receive. And how fairness shows up in real life, not just on paper.

Because before apps, prices, and payment systems, there was something simpler:

People helping each other — honestly.

Before money systems, people traded value directly.
Skills for food. Labor for shelter. Service for service.

Barter only works when both sides respect the exchange. If one side cheats, the whole system breaks.

I learned that firsthand.

I spent five years in a place where money didn’t matter and barter did. You learned quickly that if your word wasn’t good, nothing else was. Fair exchange wasn’t theory, it was survival.

That experience stayed with me.

Even now, when I work, I still think in terms of value exchanged — not just dollars, but trust, timing, and intention.

Free doesn’t mean worthless.
Paid doesn’t automatically mean fair.

Scripture puts it plainly:

A just weight isn’t about maximizing profit.
It’s about keeping the exchange clean.

I’ve donated magic shows many times over the years — schools, events, people who just needed a moment of joy.

I’ve kept thank-you notes from those shows. Not because I needed validation, but because they remind me what real value looks like.

One of those notes came from the Muscular Dystrophy Association (MDA).

It was from a holiday event for children dealing with serious illness. They wrote that the magic brought smiles to kids of all ages — that people were still talking about it — and that they couldn’t have done the event without me.

No money changed hands.
But the exchange was real.

I gave something I could give.
They received something they needed.

That kind of trade sticks with you.

(Image: Thank-you letter from the Muscular Dystrophy Association, 1997)

This week I helped update a website for D & F Remodeling, a local New Haven contractor.

I didn’t charge for the update.

Not because work should always be free — but because sometimes supporting the city you live in just means handling something that needs to be handled.

New Haven gave me a place to rebuild. School, work, second chances — all of that happened here.

So when I can help a local business look more professional, function better, or remove friction for them, I do it.

That’s not a business strategy.
That’s community.

This is the kind of work I’m doing through CodeBreeze Solutions.

Not hype.
Not over engineering.
Just building simple, reliable systems that work for real people.

Knowing when to help.
Knowing when to charge.
And knowing when to say no.

That balance matters.

A just weight isn’t always measured in dollars.

Sometimes it’s measured in intention.
In timing.
In whether both sides walk away whole.

The comeback wasn’t about getting more.
It was about learning what actually counts.

Thanks for reading.
See you next week.

If this resonated, consider sharing it.
Value grows when it’s passed on.