Good morning! | an unwelcomed guest & a puzzle

Good morning! FWL will be back on regular schedule this Friday yet between now and then I simply wanted to say hello, tell a couple of stories and set us out on a new week; our first full week of the new year! This will be short & sweet and moreso a note to simply say hello & set us out into 2022…

Our home endured an unwelcomed holiday guest by the name of omicron. How did Laura do with 10 days of quarantine? Let’s just say she wasn’t her best self and if I were to pen a blog post solely on those 10 days I couldn’t do it any better than this Washington Post article, “They were so careful, for so long. They got Covid anyway.” *I’m pretty sure I wrote this article yet I didn’t. I lived it though.

We kicked this holiday guest out of our home after a full 10 days of quarantine on Saturday, January 1 2022. Onward & yet I did learn a handful of things during this time – one ah-ha came in the form of a puzzle. I was looking to both quiet my mind and stay busy at the same time so I dumped out a puzzle. Two days in I quickly realized I was the only person in my home going to work on this puzzle and after not being able to complete the board in full (for the life of me I couldn’t find 3 border pieces of this new puzzle) I tossed the whole thing back in the box and back into the game closet. Why? Two reasons…

I realized I don’t like working alone. It’s just not me. Taking you back to my college tennis days – I played singles and doubles. Guess which one I liked better? You got it. Doubles.

The puzzle felt all too much like 2020 and 2021 and trying to solve for the world around me. The intent to quiet my mind wasn’t working at all. Wrong activity; wrong time. And for those of you who joined me for a business planning session at year-end you’ll remember one of my favorite questions – “what will you stop doing?” It was time to stop doing that puzzle.

..and then came the clarity for 2022 I was looking for mid-quarantine. Curiosity. Many of you will recall I enjoy having a word heading into a new year – a word that sets tone & intention. It takes time to come up with the right one. In fact, heading into the turn of the new year – I had two front runners – create & commit. Looking back on 2021 – those 365 days required endurance and resilience – both ingredients that in many ways we have fully digested. Again, onward. This single word – curiosity – will drive 2022 for me. Winner winner! Yes, I will create (many things in process). Yes, I am committed. Moreover though, creating and commitment have to stem first from a key ingredient = to be curious.

Here we go. 2022 is here. I am curious. My work is fully enjoyed with others – not alone. I have no clue what the puzzle will look like at the end of 2022. I’m not going to guess. What I do know is this – an invitation to a new puzzle to work on. It’s on our table. One piece at a time. And if you or I can’t find a missing piece – I bet we can together.

And, to end on a funny – beloved broker Catherine Adams sent me a note yesterday as she had come across her 2021 word (yes, so last year) – too good not to share. It made me smile.

I’ll be back Friday will regular scheduled programming in the form of a blog & real estate content. Between now and then, I’ll stay curious and look forward to connecting within our first week of 2022!

Be well and for goodness sake, stay well…

All in, for you. All in, for us.

Your fan,

Laura Smith, Windermere Real Estate Co.