Next Course Please

As a writer of historic fiction, I understood how much we can learn, or at least infer, from things of the past. Unusual antique items now redundant can leave us puzzled. Antiques can also be admired for the detailed work in their construction.

Homes built a hundred years ago and more also tell stories. Woodwork plays a larger role in older homes; wider and, generally, darker in colour. I believe intricate moldings around a home told visitors that the homeowners were people of means.

Beyond the visible impact of trim and decor, homes can actually help us to understand the lifestyle of it's residents.

This became clear to me when I recently had an opportunity to tour a heritage home that is under renovation. The homeowners are holding fast to the many unique features of the original structure, making their work even more challenging. Since I share their appreciation for the old, I admire their determination. 

We can learn much about the past from the old houses around us. One feature in this home was something I had never seen before. Under the dining table, a button had been installed into the original floor. The purpose of this button was to summon staff from the kitchen to clear the table or bring the next course. 

Since the kitchen is beside the dining room, within voice range, this feature speaks to a level of social class unimaginable to us in 2025. As the ad points out “nothing has ever been invented that meets the wants of the people as they (the buttons) do.”

Pleasant Surprises

I continue to be surprised by what I learn and uncover through this new career. 

Case in point. I have been interviewing various service providers to learn about their businesses, themselves and what they may bring to my clients. Last week, I called a woman with a professional organizing / decluttering business. She shared her business model and enthusiasm for her work with me for some time and I asked specific questions based on clients I have in mind. It was a useful hour of learning for me.

Having noted that her name was also my maiden name, at the end of the call, I asked if we could determine if there is any connection between her family and mine. Imagine how surprised I was when we quickly discovered she is married to the son of my cousin! Not just related, but closely related.

By that point, her husband had joined our discussion and we threw family memories back and forth.

The outcome of this amazing coincidence is that I have a new (to me) service to recommend to clients and we will be having a family reunion in the spring for me to reconnect with long lost family.

Connections

Real estate is offering so much more to me than simply a new career. As each week passes, I recognize how this activity fills my personal checklist. You know the one I mean - the checklist in my head that lets me know my life is on or off track by how I'm spending time. 

After a lifetime in the business world, my checklist requires time for daily administrative activities (even if that just means meal planning) but everyone's choices for spending time is unique and varied. Some value time spent creatively. Others, productively. To some, time spent learning or pursuing new interests is a must. Time to follow a healthy lifestyle. Down time. Social time. It all adds up to the inevitable evaluation: 'has my life been on track this week or do I need a tune-up with priorities?' 

The value that comes with connecting with old friends and acquaintances has moved 'social time' higher on my weekly checklist. Daily life often impeded staying in touch as much as I would like but real estate has given me the impetus to reconnect. In doing so, I recognize a desire for true connection with others, both within myself and from others.

Humans are social creatures and need connection with others. I'm not talking the social media type of connection here. I mean the face to face, time spent together listening to each other type of connection. FaceTime, WhatsApp, Zoom, etc. give us a sense of connection that I was grateful for during COVID but the ability to put my hand on someone else's (or vice versa) in a moment of understanding is only available when we are physically together. This is, increasingly, the type of connection I am filling my weeks with, replacing time spent on-line with time in a room together or walking together. 

At the core, real estate is a business of connecting others; those who are in need of something with those who no longer want or need something. 

So, pursuing real estate has given me license to enjoy filling my days connecting and reconnecting with people and, sometimes, helping them with their housing needs.

Social time - check! Productive time - check! Administrative time - check! Healthy lifestyle - check!

Neuroplasticity

Like many of my friends, as the years passed, I frequently thought about my increasing scatter-brained mind, blaming it on my advanced age.

This journey into real estate has taken me on a continuous learning path. I will admit to reservations early on. Would this 'older' brain be capable? I always love to learn but, let's face it, I hadn't taken any formal education in years.

Imagine my surprise as the weeks/months passed and my brain proved more than able to keep up.

As this was flying in the face of what I had previously accepted about my aging brain (and I am basically a curious soul), I looked into this.

Turns out, there’s a scientific explanation … neuroplasticity. The Cleveland Clinic website explains this as "our brain’s ability to absorb information and evolve to manage new challenges. It’s a natural gift that allows us to develop as a person and take on the ever-changing tasks of daily life." While this may slow down somewhat with age, it is definitely still present and able to be called on as we learn. 

However, retirement lends itself to a routineness in lifestyle. Turns out, it is this very routineness that may be a detriment to our brain health.

There are many ways to develop the neuroplasticity in our brains. Simple things like meditation, new experiences, and social interaction help keep the brain functioning well.

If your New Year’s resolution included taking a course, joining a class or trying a new hobby, go for it. I think you'll be surprised how much your brain will stretch to whatever you ask of it.

Dad Wisdom

Do what you say you're going to do.
If you're going to do something, do it right.

My granddaughter's drawing of these nuggets of wisdom from my father is above. Loved passing these on to our next generation but very aware I still work to practice them daily myself.

It is my Dad's voice I hear whenever I find myself slipping into a 'that'll do' attitude, instead of doing a job right.

I remember one memorable garden spring planting. Dad sat in his wheelchair guiding my novice efforts at planting vegetables. As I whined about how difficult it is to isolate tiny carrot seeds into each spot, rather than dropping many (only to have to cull as they grow), Dad spoke up: "You only do the job once a year. Do it right." His voice remained in my head each year after he was gone as I planted my seeds.

I've had an overwhelming urge to write a book about my grandmother's life, capturing the many things she dealt with in daily life. Born in 1899, she cooked on a wood stove her entire life. Every house (even into the 1970s) had an outhouse. She witnessed the world change from horse and buggy to cars, then planes and, finally, rockets. Communication went from neighbours dropping in to radio and then tv.

I believe our generation is the last to bear witness to life pre-technology and I want to explain all of it to my grandchildren, even knowing how awe-struck they will be by much of it. Part of that story will be the inherent wisdom each generation possessed even without the benefit of Google.

The book may never get written but the conversations I have with my grandchildren allow me to share the stories and wisdom of generations before.

A New World of Colour

I am ‘that’ person who is not afraid of bold colour. This photo of my dining room wall says it all. I’m willing to take chances when I love the colour even if my choices aren’t for everyone (one friend, on seeing this wall, said “Well, I don’t hate it”).  

My boldness with colour is a fairly new development. For years, I believed I had no knack for picking colours. How many times I sought a soft French lemon only to end up with a disappointing shade of argumentative yellow (yes, colours do affect us).

Well, it turned out I was just looking at the wrong colours.

I was introduced to bold colour while enjoying a meal at an old inn in Grafton Ontario. One of the dining room walls was an impactful shade of pumpkin. Just one wall – impact often means less is more. 

I didn’t understand the reason for the impact of this particular wall until later. Red/orange colours stir appetite and passion. I remember leaving the Inn feeling happy, full and energized, resolved to never limit myself in colour again. Now, if I love a colour, I look for the boldest version of it in the paint chips. I have yet to regret a choice.

For several years, it was rare to see rooms that ventured far from varying shades of gray but, as I view houses, I’m seeing far more colour now. The paint companies are on board with this new trend with the broad range of colour choices for 2025 as the link below shows.

https://www.styleathome.com/decorating-design/colour/article/all-the-2025-colours-of-the-year-we-know-so-far

If it’s time for a new look in one of your rooms, let your creativity flow. Go for the colour chips that make your heart sing.

Small Print Caveat:

Of course, as a Realtor® , I must advise that neutral colours sell. (...sigh)

 

We All Look The Same

Me laughing as I try, unsuccessfully, to remain upright on the ice (tricky - very tricky). After several attempts, my daughter gave me her arm and, together, we skated joyfully around the arena. Joyful for me because I hadn't been on skates in almost twenty years. I'm determined to give it a go again this year because I do love to skate.

I feel that I laugh at myself much more since I acquired white hair. It's definitely easier not to take oneself seriously at this age. Life in general seems more humorous.

My white hair brought a funny situation recently.

Now that I'm back at work, I needed a better computer than my old laptop. A clever young man at Staples explained the choices for monitor, keyboard, etc. When I asked about the features I should look for, he invariably went to how each worked for gaming, followed by a shy ‘but you’re not looking for that’ sort of comment. 

We managed to settle on what would work for business purposes and I made my way to the checkout with what I could carry. He went back to the warehouse to get the monitor I’d chosen and, as he returned to the counter, he went to another white-haired woman at the other end. I did a “yoo-hoo, over here” sort of thing and tried to cover the embarrassment he clearly felt by saying “It’s okay. We all look the same.”

After he helped me to my car with my purchases, I drove away, grinning all the way back to the office.