What I’m Grateful For: Ability to Take a Break
This week I am grateful for ducks. Yes, ducks – not the yellow rubber duckie kind that you float in your kiddos’ bathtub, but real ones with feathers that sometimes even lay really big eggs (if you can find them).
Mine are mostly gray, with mottled orange and black webbed feet, olive green snubbed beaks and plenty of sass. They are a source of daily entertainment as they march first this way, then that, all in a row (yes, they are always in a row). First they head to the duck chow, then they head to the pond, in order to dive around and frolic. Then they head out to the driveway to play under the cars in the snowmelt and mud. Then back to the chow and it starts all over again.
The sad thing is, I didn’t realize how grateful I was for them, until this past week two were lost.
We had five, but a hungry, brave coyote came in twice this past week before “bedtime” – so the ducks were still out and not safely in their nighttime pen. And now we are down to three. And I’m really worried that the snacking coyote will be back for the last ones, so bedtime is now at 4pm before it starts getting quite dark and we are sending the guard dog out more frequently (but not for too long, because I don’t trust those coyotes not to lure the dog deep into the woods and attack him too.)
All that being said, what I really mean is, most of the time, we are not grateful for something until we lose it, or come close to losing it, or realize that it’s going to be lost someday regardless of what we do. Only then do we realize what we valued, how much gratitude we had. Sometimes only after it’s too late.
So today, be grateful for your ducks. Even if you haven’t lost any yet, make sure to remember that their webbed feet and startling quacks and wobbly saunters are worth being grateful for in the present – not tomorrow, today. This very minute. Now.
What I’m Reading:
Tracers in the Dark: The Global Hunt for the Crime Lords of Cryptocurrency by Andy Greenberg.
This book reads like a whodunnit and is absolutely fascinating. It’s fast paced and tightly written, with some surprising heroes…. For instance, did you know that the IRS has an actual Special Agent division? That tracks down financial criminals, and are truly badass, with guns and handcuffs and everything? I sure didn’t! And did you know about the Dread Pirate Roberts and the Silk Road back in the day? Nope, me neither!
If you like reading a good mystery book and enjoy thinking about cryptocurrency or puzzles or how to untangle massive data sets looking for needles in haystacks, get this book now. You’ll love it.
Gene’s Tip of the Week
Tip Number Two: You can have the fanciest listings in town, but if you’re not personalizing the experience for each client, then what? Last I checked, real estate is about more than square footage…it’s about understanding what people truly want in a home. Get to know your clients. Build actual relationships, not just transactions. Take the time to be curious, to care. This is how you create raving fans who refer everyone they know to YOU! – Gene R.
Quote I’m Pondering:
“When you arise in the morning, think of what a precious privilege it is to be alive – to breathe, to think, to enjoy, to love.”
– Marcus Aurelius
