Category: Personal Reflections

A puzzling realization: this desire to retreat from fear. Well, at one level it makes sense: fears represent danger, which one should avoid. But there are things we fear whose only remedy is knowledge. So, knowledge is power, but to gain it we often must face our fears. Ah, yes, winning the battle against reflex! This shows the importance of mindfulness.

One must be awake and in control of the mind. Awareness of those reflexes, and knowing the sad path they lead down is critical. And that’s much harder in today’s world where nimble reaction is highly valued. Taking time for thoughtful reflection is not. We must remember that there are some things that Google doesn’t know. And those are the things that make us the most human. Which makes me think of Replicants and Blade Runner’s symbolism, but that’s a post for another day.

As a parent, I’ve witnessed many moments of adoration by other parents. Last night, at my dojang’s blackbelt awards ceremony (my wife and son both received their belts) I was struck again by parental devotion. Watching my fellow parents, with grandparents, beam with pride at their child’s accomplishment was both delightful, and a little sad.

Decades ago now, I got to do some projects that helped street involved youth. In that process, I heard stories, terrible stories of (dare I say) evil parents. One of my friends from those days, an Episcopal deacon, shared with me once the power of this juxtaposition. We were sitting next to each other at our church’s children’s pageant. She pointed out to me the parental adoration. And her deep experience with it’s opposite. This, as you would expect, colored her view of such events. I have puzzled about this, too, ever since. How does a human get to be so monstrous? Vicious sociological cycles? Some sort of deficiency within genes? But, more critically, I ponder the monumental devastation wrought. And am filled with sadness.

Such thoughts come at these moments of intense love for my son, and the other children around me. And I think about this at mother’s and father’s day. What must it be like to see parental adoration when it’s been denied you?

To not end on such a sad thought, I bring you a few of the many organizations that work to counter-balance the misery. They truly do great and dignifying work.

• Nelly Ali and her work with street children across the globe
• Sanctuary Arts Center, in Seattle’s University district
• Seattle’s Street Youth Ministries

We in the real estate business have been hearing TONS about the Consumer Finance Protection Bureau (CFPB) lately. The biggest piece for us has been the changes in the required disclosure documents that will be launching “soon”. Mainly, the required documentation has been cleaned up/made less confusing (and I think they’ve done a reasonably good job at that part). (More details in the video below.) However, I do have some concerns.

As a fan of federalism, I am not too keen on this organization being (relatively?) clear of Congressional oversight. I highly value the mission and role of the org, but also deeply value governmental transparency and accountability. I would like to see more of that with the CFPB, even considering the partisan and often grandstanding nature of Congress. But that’s another issue.

I am concerned about the current steep rise in overall housing prices. The sales prices are rising quickly, but that’s only part of the equation. Rental prices are rising faster. Demand keeps rising and inventory is nearly constant: thus prices climb.

Part of my concern is simply access to affordable housing. As this is a fundamental human need, issues with access deeply trouble me. Another concern , though, is on first time home buyers, those just starting out. In this kind of marjet, it’s hard to keep up. And the rising rents eat away at your ability to buy.

Ultimately,  though, markets balance out. Patience is crucial, I guess.

One thing that strikes me, on this fitness journey, is how a sedentary my life had become. My fitbit’s basic plan is to accomplish 10k steps per day. Well, today, I just got that. At 11:40 at night. That entailed pacing around me house for a few minutes. And I did an hour of taekwondo and cycled for about an hour. I may not be as sedentary as some. Yet, reaching these basic steps require significant life changes.

That speaks to an internal illusion of mine. Fitness. I see myself as the epitome of health. But I’m 20+ pounds overweight and nowhere near the peak fitness levels of my youth. Plus, that fitness was based on lots of exercise, and nothing else. My diet was atrocious. And is only slowly getting better. These are not the easiest changes to make. Decades of bad habits, brought home to roost as my metabolism calms.

At one point, I wanted to recapture the fitness of my youth.  Now, though, I want something very different. I want greater health, one of better diet, of richer health, as well as strength and endurance. I’m creating something new. This really is a new mental and physical place, a new way to live. I’m looking forward to this new journey.