1st of the MOVEMBER

Movember 1st, 2012

Dear Movemberists: 

Are you still on the fence about shaving tomorrow?

I understand there is a need in every man to see what is lurking in the pores of your upper lip.  Really, I get it.  If I could create a stache or other right-of-passage mannish hair clusters I would want to try them on too.

Here's the thing... the last couple of years there were a strong number of you brawny dudes walking around with your proud new Movember fur.  Striking up convos and making comparisons, strutting your manly stuff.  All cool like a 70's porn star or person of interest in a playground.  Amusing for sure.  Adorable?  Absolutely. 

So what is your problem AB? 

Not that I intended to become a pollster or activist for the event but somewhere in the neighbourhood of November 15th I starting asking you newly moustached man monkeys how much actual cash money you had backing the growth.  Had you set up your online sponsor page?  Kicked in a few of your own bucks to get your hairy ball rolling?  Actively seeking a donation from every passerby as they identify  your new face situation?  Leveraging your photo gallery of the weekly (in some cases daily) transformation of your mouth pelt into more dollar bills for the cause?  It's a fundraiser, right?

The best answer I got was $14.00 because that's what Steve had in his wallet at the time and he was committed to making that happen.   

The worst answer I got was also the most frequent "$0.00".

I know that some of you raised serious moola.  Don't get your back up.  I donated to a good number of you.  The proof of your commitment to actually supporting research for men's cancers was profiled online.  Mad respect and kudos.  Props.  Big ups.  Fist bumps, etc.  I simply didn't have the pleasure of running into you, at least not in Movember.

Listen, the $0.00 moustache just ain't cool on any man unless you already had it on Halloween.  Well, that and your bone structure will dictate if it's working out but let's stay on track.  Here's where you want to be: https://www.movember.com/ca/register/

Ladies, let's ask these boys what they are up to this month.  Are you with me?  AB

 



MANTRAS of the AB

So it has already come to pass, several decades and now yet another season.  Soon to be another year and we have aged.  It is so easy to live shallowly in the demands of today.  How I strive to be more purposefully reflective.  To find a means to preserve the time that is forever seeping from my grasp.  A cry that is hardly unique to me.  As I look around and take stock of my life I feel incredibly fortunate to fit well in my own shoes.  It is a blessing like no other to love the life that you are in and I just don’t want to take a moment of it for granted.

What follows has slowly seeped into status updates and notes of sharing and caring for friends and family but blog style I can no longer resist the self indulgent urge to share a summary of beloved personal mantras.  Written goals and personal standards are important tools and systems of value in Burtonia.  We know from experience that once you put it in writing you can make it real. 

This list changes and grows with me but the time is never wrong to mark the here and now.  Of all of the aspirations I have the strongest is to continue to learn, to find a way think ‘big’.  To embrace life as a greater opportunity than what I can see; what of it lies dormant at my feet.  I don’t claim to have it all figured out but the world could only be a better place if we all shared our lists and cared enough to at least listen to what each person’s experience could add to these priceless collections. 

If you know me you've heard at least one of these in some form or fashion.  Every day of my life I try my very best to adhere to these five AB fundamentals:

1. The universe is unfathomably old and large and I am very young and small.  Whatever you believe about how humanity came to rest atop the food chain it is an undeniable fact that the chance of any individual human existence was minuscule at best.  Just think of how many kids your parents didn’t have and same the math based on a population of approximately 7 billion.  If you can stand next to a mountain or see photos from the Hubble telescope and still think you have the most important situation happening in all of existence what you are most in need of is perspective. Your time here will be nothing in comparison to the timeline of the known universe. 

2.  Life is 10% what happens to you and 90% how you react.  You might not know it but someone somewhere is going to follow your lead or be more than mildly affected by how you interpret a situation.  Perception is reality.  You can not always control the things that happen around you but you can set the tone of your reaction.   If not initially, when the dust settles.  You can always offer an open door or the next steps.  You can change the lasting outcome by helping to manage the aftermath. 

3. Everyone has a story.  If every life is a book every person has a chapter or two they would love to tear out and burn.  This could be a tale of regret or paragraph of terror.  Pain can come by your own hand or it could be that you are a victim of circumstance or the brutality of others.  What I have come to realize is that every life story, even my own, contains dark pages.  Pages, however old or new are meant to be turned.  It is not the adversity but the coping that proves the truest content of our character.  The most impressive, munificent, loving people I know have overcome unthinkable misfortune and hardship that could easily but the brakes on personal progress and their ability to trust, to engage and to love.  Anyone would understand if they stayed in a place of shadows and fear but they declined the option of being defined by sadness and tragedy.  These pages and chapters are part of their story but they absolutely refuse to lend them the title of their entire manuscript.

4. No one is normal.  That’s right.  All across the board.  My vocations have offered me the opportunity to meet an incredibly wide variety of people and to get a real and focussed look at how they live and who they are.  One thing is for sure - everyone is at least a little bit crazy and weird.   There is absolutely no standard to adhere to or bar to reach when it comes to the loopy connections in your brain and no mind fires on perfect cylinders.  The best people I know are in touch with their “crazy” and see ways to accept the “madness” ingrained in others.

5. Enthusiasm is contagious.  If you have met my amazing partner there is no need to ask me where I get my zest for life.  Surround yourself with people who carry energy and display attitudes that you want for yourself.  Don’t expect them to make you happy but notice how they achieve it and adopt some of their habits and mindsets.  Let them inspire you.  Their strengths can be new assumable values, ties that bind, resources to lean on and learn from when you are not at your best. My favourite people to spend time with know the powers of gratitude, generosity, laughter and they can actually manufacture joy (perhaps the most valuable of personal commodities). 

This isn't the end.  I know enough to be certain that I know very little.   AB

 



 

VASTNESS of the COSMOS

At some point we are all asked by either an outside party or somewhere in our own consciousness how we keep a grip on ourselves.

How in those moments of absolute insanity do we put our heads down and plow through with displays of either amazing grace or unadulterated tolerance? 

We hurt but we get through, we move on, we see the endless possibility in the start of yet another day.  We forgive, we love again, we see the good, we try to make the best of our rare gift of life. 

No person is exempt.  No life truly lived without anxiety.  Every answer is different.   No response can be wrong.

I am acquainted with individuals who find solace in exercise or rest, careful introspection or wiping the slate of the mind clean.  Some lay down roots as others voyage.  A few medicate while others strive for utter sobriety.  Many seek the refuge of a union or assembly while some break away from ties and find a new but more solitary path.

I can only speak for myself but one ideal is so meaningful and true to me that it casts emotion and perspective into an unshakable light.  It forces me to feel modest and know my woes are as well.  

That is the sheer size of the known universe and the statistical improbability of my own existence.

As a child I was introduced to the work of Carl Sagan and I have been hypnotised by his and similar teachings  ever since.  For me, it is impossible to review the scientific observations of experts in the field of Astronomy and not be in awe of how amazing my opportunity of simply being alive, being human, truly is. 

This is not to say that our daily endeavours are without purpose but our pale blue dot of a drifting home, made up of star stuff, could only benefit if we accepted how minute we actually are.  Undeniably, the only thing any one infinitesimal human can control is the depth of their character and the permission they give knowledge to guide them to fortune and love along the way.  

Are you still looking for your answer?  Maybe, just maybe, Carl will help you find yours too.  AB

 

GUESTS of the HOUSE

What is life without good friends?

This week Burtonia was host to some dear people who were visiting from Calgary. Faces we haven't seen in some time but are all too familiar and in so many ways never changing.

The best laughs are old repeated ones and the most colourful sense of yourself comes from those who have known you for what seems to be an eternity. There is such a bitter sweetness to recalling stories from decades gone by. They remind you of the unstoppable aging process but send you on path to recollection.  Fewer grey hairs and a life bursting with unimportant possibility and you were immortal.

There is also a sense of wonder at how love can span miles and memories are what really link you to the people you adore. Relish in memories and make new ones too. Those are your story and your loved ones however far away will always share them with you.

Here's to future laughs and events of this week that will be revisited in decades to come. Cheers. AB

WINNER of the FAQ

As Realtors we are asked a lot of questions. All day every day. Of course, in the trenches of our business we endlessly seek information for our clients and address any and all concerns about buying, selling, prices and the ever changing local market conditions.  Even in social situations people are very interested in the nuts and bolts and moving parts involved in working as a full time Real Estate Salesperson or Investor.   We love to talk about what we do so don't be shy.  We want to inspire people to see the possibilities the way that we were inspired to believe in magic of Real Estate so many years ago.

So of the countless inquiries received by Burton & Burton what tops the list of FAQs?

"You work together?"

That's the one.  Realtors, friends, family and clients alike are typically astounded by our situation.  Often further perplexed by the idea that we have been doing it for most of our 15+ year relationship and even more befuddled by the fact that we enjoy it and see the arrangement as a privilege afforded by our habitually stressful occupation.

It's true.  We are married.  We work together.  We work mostly from home or on the road together.  We co-list every property.  We have both our names on every sign and ad.  We host our appointments together whenever possible.  We service our tenants and customers as a team.   It always seems so natural for us but it really fascinates other people. 

It might be the answer or the cause for concern but the two parts of Burton & Burton couldn't be more like chalk and cheese.  If you know Mike you know that broad smile, easy going nature, passion for real estate investment and big picture thinking.  If you know me you know I'm usually stressing a detail and never happy until everything I touch is a close to perfect as I can shove it.  We always say he is the macro and I'm the micro.  He is in charge of ideas, inspiration, energy and morale and I'm in charge of everything else.  I know it's not the right formula for every couple but we couldn't see operating our business and spending our days, nights or weekends any other way. 

Well, that's not entirely accurate.  The Burtons do daydream of a travel saturated early retirement but don't expect that to reduce the preposterous amount of wonderful time we are able to spend in each other's company.   AB

ADORATION of the VAGABONDS

Burtonia continues to serve as a playground and often a crash pad for some of the world's most fabulous grownups. A treasured and esteemed list of folks we call friends. Some of these loved ones have their names etched on a barstool and others we see less often for reasons of geography. We are fortunate to have such an eclectic and interesting group of regulars.  

 

All guests bring smiles to our faces as they appear on the doorstep but none are quite as anticipated as the Vagabonds. The random and temporary return of the kids who blew off a life in Niagara for its narrow scenery, limited population and unbearably cold winter weather. Nothing brings greater perspective on what truly makes life large than hearing globetrotting stories fall from the tanned lips of a person who owns a backpack and little else. It makes a Burton wonder if maybe there was a miscalculation in the master plan when we put the root down.

The lifestyle differences are glaring and hard to ignore.

• a Burton says: "last Tuesday I looked at a really interesting investment property"
• a Vagabond says: "last Tuesday I looked at the Sphinx" 

Everyone life meets a Mirror Holder. Those people in your life that not through lecture but pure inspiration cause you to stop, take a long look at yourself and your place in the world.  It could be for reasons of health, wealth, experience or loss. They present a situation or story that precedes your glance at the clock of existence and fuels a concern; it might be later than I think. The only true poverty might be a lack of time. 

For the Burtons the Vagabonds are the Mirror Holders.  A live illustration of that balance between your present and future self.  An endless battle that can't be won. There are some days we wonder if we are doing it right. Question: if Burtonia was yanked from the root and if we traded it all for plane tickets and power bars how long and far could we journey? We love to travel but we take 'vacations'. There is no comparison and we know it.

For a sample perspective that makes our heads spin check out this interview with Mr. Rolf Potts, an accomplished author and long term traveller.  His book "Vagabonding" is a dog eared member of the Burtonia library.   AB

NEWNESS of the YEAR

Let's hit this. 2012.

So cliché but like everyone the wintery starter spark of the new year is a time of both reflection and forward thinking for us. So what does this flip of yet another calendar mean in Burtonia?

Professionally we start a new Burton business fiscal year. We run stats and host meetings on how to better service our clients and tenants in the year to come. We learn from our tough times and celebrate our successes. Then collect and pack 12 months of ledgers and files to wrap up 12 months of revenue, expenses and accounting. Throw a lid on that banker box and hope CRA sees things the same way that we did.

Personally we can hardly believe 2012 has finally arrived. We have talked about this particular year for such a long time. It is our 10th year of marriage and the last 9 have overflowed with speculation and conversations of who we would be when 2012 finally came rolling in. It started in the cab ride from The Little White Chapel with a wedding certificate in one hand and the world as our oyster in the other.

Unreal.  Time to start dreaming of who, what and where Team Burton will be in 2022.  AB

DECKING of the HALLS

The Christmas of 2011 was the first to be celebrated right here in Burtonia. We are typically the ones packing up a car with a variety of catered items, wine bottles plus stacked and packed boxes of gifts to be driven all over the golden horseshoe to make mandatory holiday appearances. 

This holiday season we took over.  Burtonia turkey, Burtonia tree and a Burtonia table set for the whole family.  There was merriment and babies, Christmas crackers and egg nog.  The whole deal. 

The turkey roasters of yesteryear where all too happy to relinquish the Christmas controls.  Now we know why.  The set up was endless as where the inquiries.  Who was attending?  Who needed presents for who?  What can each person bring?  What time are all events to be held?  In Burtonia our love of lists and charts was in full effect. As an experienced party planner I won't play that it was too much to handle.  It all came together in the end and the items that were missed just didn't seem to matter once we were all around the table with smiles and toasts abounding. 

 It is so cheesy but true that it didn't really matter that my first course was iffy at best and didn't quite turn out the way I planned.  When I set each plate down in front of each guest I realized whatever the content of the menu was each of these special people had decided to spend this very special day here, with us. 

I have wonderful childhood memories of Christmas.  Always a day of family and food with all of the fanciest plates and linens set on the table, mom in the kitchen, Poppy endlessly playing with me and my new toys.  We are so happy that Burtonia will now be a part of the Christmas memories of some very special little Burtons.   AB