LIFE LESSON #2 – Walking with Molly

LIFE LESSON #2

One of my New Year’s resolutions (like many of you) was to get in better shape physically.  So I thought to myself, what better way than to take my dog Molly for a walk each day, thus “killing two birds with one stone”, so to speak?  Now Molly is a 90 pound Yellow Lab who is fun and lovable, all muscle but with a mind of her own.  On our first outing I called her and said the word, “walk”.  That was all it took; she began jumping wiggling and barking all at the same time.  I managed to hook the leash to her collar and off we went.  Unfortunately, I forgot one very important thing:  the loop that goes over her nose so that I can control her.  She was never good at conforming to strict discipline, even though she did finally graduate from Puppy Training.  I should have known I would have a problem when the instructor at Pet Smart started referring to her as “Good Golly, Miss Molly”.  Well, off we went, her pulling with all her might and me trying to run fast enough to keep up.  I couldn’t help thinking as she pulled me along that life could become like this:  constantly being pulled along in a direction we might not want to go.  Whether in our relationships, our beliefs, our finances or our careers, it is easy to be pulled in the wrong direction or pulled faster than we are prepared to go.  We have choices:  we can either continue being pulled along; we can let go and find our own direction; or, we can gain control.  I have chosen to gain control of my destiny, and the next time I go walking with Molly, I will be the one setting the pace.

 

P.S.  I’m still mulling over that broken fingernail I mentioned in LIFE LESSON #1.  I know there is a lesson there, somehow.

LIFE LESSON #1

LIFE LESSON #1:  I have always been one to try and “match up” people who might have a need for one another.  Most recently I connected two restaurant owners; one wished to phase into retirement; the other wanted to expand and grow his restaurant business.  Arrangements were made to meet at the restaurant of the owner who wanted to sell.  As the “match-maker”, I was invited to attend the meeting and make the introductions.  We arrived and were seated at the V.I.P. table.  Following good conversation and a delicious meal, it was time for me to leave so that my two friends could converse privately and determine whether they wished to continue discussing a positive buy-sell arrangement.  I felt good about having connected the two, said my “goodbyes” and was ready to make a graceful exit.  That’s when it happened.  I didn’t realize that the V.I. P. table had a large step down, but of course, that knowledge was quickly learned as I slowly fell to the floor.  In my mind’s eye I imagined myself as being a flower petal, slowly drifting downward in a graceful motion but what I really looked like was a heap on the floor of a very crowded restaurant, looking up at the bottom of a table and t the legs of the people I had just introduced.  Embarrassed – you bet!  But that’s when I began to recall all of the adages I had so carefully committed to memory over the years.  My brain spun into overdrive, and it began shouting: 

“It’s not how far you fall, but how high you bounce.”  “Failure is never final unless you fail to get up.”

Hearing the voice of the restaurant owner asking, “Are you all right?”, I quickly jumped up and responded:  “After that delicious meal, I am well padded, and I bounce pretty good.”  We all had a good laugh, and the only think that was broken was my fingernail.  Frankly, that was fake anyway.  I wonder if that might translate into Life Lesson #2?

Yes, life can give you a  tumble and perhaps some bumps and bruises, but if you get up, hold your head high and do a little sashay as you leave that negative situation behind, you too can “bounce pretty good.”

Baby Boomer Housing Trends By Age

I recently saw this interesting comparison between early “Boomers”, ages 47-55 to late “Boomers”, ages 56-65.  To check out these stats, click on the following link.

Baby Boomers and the Real Estate Market