If you are like me, it seems the older we get the faster life appears to be passing. Oftentimes I find things I recall as happening a year or two ago occurred three or four years prior and I sit amazed at how quickly those years passed. Recently I’ve lost a few close friends and have others who are struggling with health issues and it seems the reoccurring comment I hear is, “don’t take life for granted and stop putting off your goals and dreams another day.” Even those not going through any kind of challenge have shared with me their desire to live a more fulfilling life. I then think of a comment Pastor and Televangelist Joel Osteen once said that has resonated with me, “There are many great books and inventions lying in cemeteries that never came to fruition!” “Is this my time to finally give myself permission to set time aside to fulfill my desires?” More importantly, “What legacy do I leave my son when he never sees me fulfill my goals and dreams?” The quote attributed to Walt Disney, but is presumed to be said by Disney Imagineer Tom Fitzgerald, “If you can dream it, you can do it,” has recently taken on a whole new meaning for me. “Why do I find myself always in front of my computer when not with clients showing property?” When we first moved down from New York 22 years ago we went boating, played tennis and golf, visited the beach, and started writing a book that I have yet to finish. “What happened? Why am I not permitting myself to set time aside to enjoy those simple pleasures before it is too late and I can’t enjoy those moments to their fullest? Why am I reflecting on past memories and not making new ones?”
I have always been a “summer kid,” at heart. Summer was a time when everything came alive and those memories have been frozen in time and seem like they just occurred yesterday. Simple things like bike rides, trips to the beach, days spent boating and exploring new areas by car were those simple pleasures that hold such as special place in my heart. Now I’m hearing friends of mine who are on the road fulfilling dreams of traveling the country this summer in an RV, something they never did before. Another special couple we know is cruising their way up the Intracoastal from Florida to New York and ultimately completing the “Great Loop” as they return via the Mississippi. They have been documenting and sharing pictures of their travels on daily postings where you feel like a stowaway on their great adventure. For some these adventures have been planned for months, for others, it has been more spontaneous. In contrast, my recent adventures by car have taken me to such exotic places as Costco and Trader Joe’s where I am mesmerized by fresh-cut flowers and displays of barbeque grills and patio furniture. “What happened to our boating trips to places like Tween Waters in North Captiva where we felt like we were on vacation, or our excursions to the beach and small towns along the way with their quaint shops and restaurants?” As for golf and tennis, Tiger Woods and Roger Federer have nothing to worry about as I’m not even sure which end of the racquet or club I’m supposed to grip.
I’ve often laughed at those who are looking to move to Florida who tell me how often they are going to go to the beach, enjoy boating, and playing as much golf and tennis they can fit between all their outdoor activities. When asked why I’m laughing I typically respond with, “Sure you are and before you know it six months will pass and you won’t believe how little you did those things, yet your life will seem so busy.” I continue by saying, “We fall into this “manana” mindset where what we don’t do today we feel we can always do tomorrow and before you realize it weeks and months have passed and you haven’t done many of the things that brought you here in the first place.”
Have I become my father who always looked forward to the weekend and then spent it admiring his handiwork trimming bushes and washing the car while others passed by on their boats or in their cars on their way to the golf course or to unknown destinations? If Covid didn’t have a way of taking stock in what’s important in life, certainly those daily reminders from friends saying, “I’m not putting off another day what I have been wanting to do all my life,” is something worth acting on.Apparently my wife Gail didn’t think I was implementing this goal fast enough and took matters into her own hands and signed us up for a golf membership. Giving myself permission it was O.K. to put the computer aside for two hours I felt like a kid with a new toy as we had a fun-filled round where my wife showed me the finer points of using someone’s pool cage to have her golf shot land in the middle of the fairway! While I never learned that trick in junior golf, it made me realize all the special moments I was missing, and wonderful memories I wasn’t making.
Golf may be just the beginning of recapturing some of those lost opportunities I took for granted, and hopefully, soon I’ll finish that book I started to write so many years ago that gave me so much enjoyment. While I don’t know if it will be a best seller one thing is for certain, I’m going to make the most of this summer and start to enjoy pursuing those goals and dreams I’ve been putting off far too long.
-Gary Cardillo
As much as I intended to embrace this theme, I found I was continually approached by many asking how to navigate a real estate market that seems more like a runaway train. What started as their euphoric journey to a new beginning has become anything but, as we are experiencing what has become a feeding frenzy. Wasn’t March supposed to come in like a lion, marking the beginning of spring, and exiting like a lamb? If that is the case, then April and May must be monsters and our “Spring” has more than sprung. Of course, I am referencing the real estate market and not the weather, as by all accounts our temperatures this season have been some of the most enjoyable we’ve experienced in a long time.
Spring is a wonderful time of year and this year it is even more special as not only are flowers and trees coming into full bloom but so are we as a community now that many of the restrictions that have governed much of our lives for the past year are being lifted. The lesson we learned from the “pause” the pandemic forced on us was to enjoy each other and the pleasures life gives us. If we’ve learned our lessons from the past we don’t need to panic every time we encounter something we’ve never experienced before. Spring is in full bloom this season and perhaps more bright and full of appreciation and hope than ever before.
Recently we had dinner with a couple who introduced Gail and me on a blind date 35 years ago. They are from New York where the husband has had a jewelry business in the heart of New York’s Diamond District for many years. We were dining outside in St. Armand’s Circle in Sarasota and this couple was looking around like two kids entering Disney World, amazed at the number of people out and about enjoying the shops, restaurants, and beautiful evening weather. They had been to Florida many times before but this time was extra special as New York has been shut down to a large degree, and according to the husband, New York City has become a ghost town of sorts with rising crime rates and the closure of many businesses. However, despite the depressing news from New York, our conversations are always full of laughter as the husband has an uncanny sense of humor and like most wives, she just rolls her eyes.
While many have grown depressed being quarantined in their homes for months up north, the husband has maintained his sense of humor. He said, “You try to get creative, and when weather permits, you try to make the most of your time outdoors.” Being an avid tennis player who also enjoys the game of golf I asked, what other things he had tried. He replied, “Skeet shooting.” Detecting the puzzled look on my face he said, “I thought I’d give it a try….As a Jew we don’t hunt, we order in, but I figured it was something new and different. Unfortunately, birds were dropping from the trees and a plane fell out of the sky, but while I seemed to hit everything else, I couldn’t hit those clay pigeons.” I was so glad he hadn’t lost his sense of humor!
found it amazing to see the change in perspective as years ago Florida was only seen as a place to retire, and now couples like our friends are giving serious consideration to possibly making the move themselves in the not too distant future, which we couldn’t be happier if they did. What I also found interesting is most of the husband’s Florida clients are in the Palm Beach area, which years ago seemed like the place they would eventually relocate, however, they shared with us how they wanted to get away from the stress, congestion, and the “personalities” they deal with daily and are finding southwest Florida provides everything they could want. I have to agree as I still find myself wondering in amazement that we live in a place people come to vacation.
In our business we constantly hear from those looking to make the move to Florida, “I’ve had the big home, the fancy cars and membership to the country club, but I want to simplify things and enjoy then next chapter of my life. Isn’t it ironic how life goes full circle? We marvel at the inquisitiveness of a child, but in our later years we find enjoyment in many of the same things we did as children. However, while this year has been one full of challenges of one kind or another I recall something very profound a dear friend of mine shared with me about how adults and children perceive many of the same scenarios differently. His name is Bob DeStefano and he was at one time the longest tenured golf professional in the country and was recognized by the PGA for his contribution to junior golf and for the junior golf program he created at Gardiner’s Bay Country Club located on Shelter Island, New York. Bob said, “You know the difference between children and adults? Adults will come into the pro shop and talk about all the bad shots during their round, but children will always talk about the one good one they had.” I’ve often thought about Bob’s analogy and wondered how some children have coped with the events from this past year and what their thoughts were for the New Year. I thought who better than to reach out to a couple of families we know who have had to adjust to the changes brought on by the pandemic with young children.
Of course no interview with young children could end without asking if they had an opportunity to meet Santa. I had remarked a couple of times to Gail how sad I felt seeing Santa sitting by himself at a mall without the excitement of children all around. Olivia replied by saying she and Avra did get to meet Santa but unlike past years where they were able to sit on his lap, this year they were sitting behind plexiglass, but she added, “We still did get to tell him what we wanted.” Hailey, whose personality is bigger than her, said she and Lily haven’t had an opportunity to meet Santa yet, but I’m sure when she gets finished with him, he’ll be ready for a long winter’s nap!
The lessons I learned from these girls was that they seemed to take their challenges more in stride but had a greater compassion for others who weren’t coping quite as well. While they enjoyed getting out and seeing their classmates they were apart from for so long, they savored their life at home, and the loving environment their parents created. It was their hope for the New Year that others could enjoy the same where everyone could be happy and healthy. And that is our wish for you.
While most people would like to talk about themselves, Gary and Gail have always put their clients first, and their diverse backgrounds have provided their clients an unparalleled level of service and knowledge throughout the past years.