Saturday Cup of Joe from Detroit
197.
Week 197 in Detroit.
Yesterday was Valentine’s Day. A pro pos of nothing, walking is romantic…but will is save your life? The benefits of long walks, in this one guy’s opinion. For example, “Usually, I walk without a plan. I have nothing to achieve; the beauty is in the walking, in the journey itself.” It’s cold but I’m going to take a walk today.
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“Every day of our lives, we are on the verge of making those slight changes that would make all the difference.” — Mignon McLaughlin
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Rent versus buy: According to research from Freddie Mac, 84% of renters, especially Boomers, identified renting as more affordable than housing. In fact, Brian Levy of a career in mortgage law and the recent debut monthly column Mortgage Musings, pointed out that the number actually increased 17% in one year. “Affordability” is one factor in the purchase versus rent decision but it is interesting to consider if this is a trend. (Freddie Mac: 4 in 10 Renters Looking to Purchase Homes While Rates are Low)
“As mortgage rates approach historic lows, 40% of renters say they are planning to purchase a home in the next several months. 46% of current homeowners said they plan to renovate their homes, while 29% they would refinance and 27% said they would consider purchasing a new home or additional investment property.”
Why would renters feel this way and even in a year of low and lowering interest rates the number continues to increase? View the survey results
Here’s one guess. The idea of saving for a down payment is considered unaffordable, by some. For others, the perception of repairs on aging homes, the time (not) spent on home upkeep, the risk of home values diminishing, and the (psychological) cost associated with being tied down.
What is less clear is how identity plays into it. Renters are mobile, flexible and cool. Identity is not affordability but people who want a certain identity can easily translate that into affordability. It could be a substitute or proxy for “easier” as well.
Regardless, perception is fluid, can shift and can drive behavior. For those also watching the trend of apps and platforms making it easier for renters, easier for landlords and easier to adjust financing options. Might be a confluence of trends to keep an eye on.
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Data Visualization: CEOs make approximately $4000/hour. Here it is in real time.
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Have you ever had to make a major life decision? A choice? A big break? What do you use?
Here are some criteria to consider. A quick summary of the link above.
1. Objective reality — put some distance between the context of the decision and your involvement (i.e. your ego).
2. Future state — do not base your decisions on something that may or may not happen in the future, conditional events make a bad anchor for major choices.
3. Live the life you wanna live — deep honesty and self-awareness are a foundation for decision-making based on values & priorities
4. Time is a limited resource — recognize that.
5. Gut instinct — beware the role of intuition but trust your intuition. I know it sounds conflicting but the truth is, you know it when it just feels right.
6. Happiness — prioritize happiness.
It’s not self-indulgent it’s worth it.
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COLD SOLACE
by Anna Belle Kaufman
When my mother died,
one of her honey cakes remained in the freezer.
I couldn’t bear to see it vanish,
so it waited, pardoned,
in its ice cave behind the metal trays
for two more years.
On my forty-first birthday
I chipped it out,
a rectangular resurrection,
hefted the dead weight in my palm.
Before it thawed,
I sawed, with serrated knife,
the thinnest of slices —
Jewish Eucharist.
The amber squares
with their translucent panes of walnuts
tasted — even toasted — of freezer,
of frost,
a raisined delicacy delivered up
from a deli in the underworld.
I yearned to recall life, not death —
the still body in her pink nightgown on the bed,
how I lay in the shallow cradle of the scattered sheets
after they took it away,
inhaling her scent one last time.
I close my eyes, savor a wafer of
sacred cake on my tongue and
try to taste my mother, to discern
the message she baked in these loaves
when she was too ill to eat them:
I love you.
It will end.
Leave something of sweetness
and substance
in the mouth of the world.
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“Curiosity is the super power for the second half of our lives.” — Brene Brown
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Bonus Content: Stories of quitters. Interesting ones.
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Continued success and continue to answer well,
