Bidenary, Magic, Dreams, and Good Madness

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself."
— Neil Gaiman

Thursday morning, how are you doing? How is the week? We have been very productive. We had our weekly team check-in; the question for the team was, if you won a million dollars, what would you do? The responses were varied; most would invest, some would retire, some would help out the family—an interesting question to ponder.

It's 5:32 a.m., I'm up, I got another quality night of sleep, it's dark outside, cold, 2 degrees snowing, looks like we got 8 inches of fresh powder. It's peaceful here; I hope you are enjoying peace. For my Ukraine readers, I'm sorry, it sounds like you have the opposite of what we have here; as Churchhill said, "if you are going through hell, keep going."

You may think I'm kidding when I refer to my Ukraine readers, but I get data about my followers and have a worldwide reach. I'm not sure why someone in China would follow or read my work, but they do. So I guess the American perspective is of interest. The fall of an empire is an interesting story. I'm a scribe from a mountaintop giving a daily briefing on how freedom ends.

A few convoys of people are headed to Washington to stand up for our individual freedoms. I hear they will be going through Indianapolis on March 1st; Indy people, you might want to take a holiday, I don't think you will be able to get around, and with the construction, it will be a mess. But, a beautiful mess; it's like picking up trash in a dress. Where do you fall on our freedoms? Are you aware our rights are slowly being taken away? Something to ponder on this chilly February morning.

Another busy day, interviews, meetings, we will stay in Denver tonight, fly out tomorrow and spend three days in Sin City. We have some pretty good seats for Billy Joel's concert. Toss in excellent accommodations; it will be a fun weekend. We are not big gamblers, so most of our time will be spent walking, people watching, and having a taste of culinary delights—a reminder to live RFN.

I find snow days enjoyable, working from home, never leaving, but it impacts my ability to reframe my day. Most days, I'm out meeting people, listening to NPR, giving me fodder for my soup, but I just tend to work and run virtual calls at home. I had seven yesterday; I think I have more today. I like the virtual world but enjoy face to face a little more. So it's now a balancing act of efficiency and the want for human connection.

I received 20 resumes yesterday; we got five that look like rock stars. If you are new here, I'm in a constant interview mode, looking for people to populate our team. Creating a bench of talent so as we grow, I can pick up the phone and say, "you're up!" our culture attracts unique creative, and independent people; we don't hire duds.

Our new operations manager is killing it, sometimes a fresh face with new ideas can help take your company to a level never thought possible. On the other hand, sometimes we get comfortable and tolerate average when excellence is just a person away. There is a gift and opportunity in every event. My wife and I were talking about how we are enjoying our chaos. We have been living in a season of order, and I think we got a little relaxed. Someone shook up our snowglobe, and I want to say thank you to something bigger than ourselves.

I hear we may begin paying more for gas, groceries, and other things. So buckle up, freedom has a price, or so I hear. We need to regain energy independence; we were there 14 months ago; what changed? So today, I will identify as "Bidenary." Are you better off than you were a year ago? I'm asking for a friend.

We will begin staging our condo for sale next week. We have movers that will remove most of our property take it to the mountain house. The return on this investment will be insane; the income will be put into another investment; we have done well with the commercial property market the last few years. Each time I think the market is at the top, it keeps going, an adjustment is coming, and then we will reinvest in one or two properties. The Air B and B model has some benefits, and if you get the right property manager, it's a nice passive income.

We had 11 deer visit yesterday. I don't know if that is a herd, but it was beautiful watching the beasts hang out in our side yard. I find the animals here majestic and another indication of a guiding hand managing our world. I'll share a photo of the group, good looking healthy, and I suspect hungry.

I've been stuck inside for two days; my Oura ring wonders why I'm not moving more. Hey OURA, it's below zero outside! With the increased temperatures, I'll be out today, stretching my legs, walking the dog, enjoying the sun. I think we will get up to 20 degrees, a heatwave!

Well, there you have it, thoughts, ideas, wonderment, and pondering from a 52-year-old man of taupe color. I'm blessed, lucky, and fortunate to live the life I live. But, I think it is up to those who have built treasure and castles on sharing our bounty with those less fortunate. No one ever gets poor by giving and helping others provides a nice shot of serotonin. So, give, give again, and then give some more. Help others, mentor those in need, and be kind to everyone; you don't know the battles others are fighting, and a simple smile could be a game-changer. So, remove your mask and show your big goofy grin!  

"May your coming year be filled with magic and dreams and good madness. I hope you read some fine books and kiss someone who thinks you're wonderful and don't forget to make some art -- write or draw or build or sing or live as only you can. And I hope, somewhere in the next year, you surprise yourself."
— Neil Gaiman