With it being Friday again, I made sure I busied myself with getting everything done that had been put on the back burner this week. I do dislike having tasks not completed to where they continue to mentally “gnaw” at me until they’re finished. While driving home I couldn’t think of anything left undone so tomorrow’s arrival at the office will be a blank canvas morning. I’ve noticed again how when the weather gets near or above freezing, the buyer activity picks up. I’m hoping both my public open houses this weekend will be a success due to the weatherman telling us we’ll have temps in the thirties. I’m certainly not looking forward to next Tuesday’s snow. It sounds like we’re supposed to get 5 – 8 inches and then turn colder. Since 2016 is a leap year, we’ll have one more day in February. I’ve always thought it interesting what those very few do who were born on February 29th. Since I’ve never liked birthday parties for myself, I’d consider it a blessing in only having to endure them every four years. Since our public schools are getting all the more “dumbed down” with today’s curriculum, I wouldn’t be surprised if most don’t know that February 29th only occurs every four years due to the catching up of time since the earth revolves around the sun in 365 days and 6 hours, so we therefore have to make the correction with one extra added day every four years.
Someone told me today that Google is getting closer in their development of artificial intelligence. Each time I’ve heard of this drive over the years, I’ve shivered in thinking what possible evils can be developed out of it all. The survival of the human race could possibly be at stake while research continues. I would think it more a humane challenge to discover better ways to clean up our environment, cure deadly diseases, get the overwhelming increases in populations under control, and lastly, to discover a way to stop these barbaric religious wars that continue to sprout all over our planet. A dear gentleman called me this morning to whom I sold a home back about eight years ago. About once a year he calls and I find myself walking back down memory lane with him since we were in several classes one year back before the trees arrived. He’s always surprised how I remember him from that year. I told him again today, “There are just three things I remember about you and they are, you had almost black hair, you were taller than me, and you always seemed a bit on the ghostly side.” He said, “Why ghost?” My closest to memory was the reply, “It’s because you always seemed to be in the shadows of a class to where you were likely working at not being noticed.”
For the first time he said, “My parents struggled with making ends meet, we lived in a mobile home, and I always felt everyone else had it so much better than me, so I really didn’t consider myself able to fit into the group.” I said, “It’s too bad I didn’t matter-of-factly tell you at the time how I’d always felt you to be a good person.” I went on to remind him that he certainly did find himself and went on to do great things by doing a great job in raising a family and having a great career. I also reminded him how fortune he was to be able to fully retire long before most. I speak of him today as a reminder for all of us to step out of our boxes once in a while and acknowledge the presence of others—no matter how ghostly they appear. That lifting conversation was the highlight of my January thaw day.
