Everyone Has Their ‘Zorba’ Opportunities

“Teach me to dance...” So goes the line by the character Basil in Zorba the Greek after his friend Zorba has disastrously ordered a third log to shoot down their already-compromised zip line, publicly destroying what was left of the logging business both men had spent months creating. And so it goes . . . I’m reminded of this moment while getting ready to attend a 2009 closing to sell a former residence near Decatur, Georgia. This house – putting it mildly – was a disaster, and was all my doing. While I'd like to blame it on someone else, I can't. We bought the home in 2001 for $105K, spent over $130K fixing it up over the years, then moved into it from 2006-2008 because we couldn’t sell it. My wife never liked the house, and I was using my "logic" to overcome what I considered were temporary setbacks. Then the Great Recession hit. We were actually lucky to get an offer for $195K, minus all the repair costs, closing costs, realtor commissions, et cetera, et cetera . . . This is in addition to the fact that we also bought and sold several other properties over the past decade, only one of which could be considered a financial success! So, more than $50,000 and years of time – went up in smoke. Brigitte and I had a ‘Zorba Moment’ since we decided to celebrate instead of cry over our spilled milk. What are your opportunities to celebrate disaster? Yes, that's right. Celebrate. Wisdom comes at a price. We paid ours . . . and got to dance. You can too.