Today’s track: If it Makes You Happy- Sheryl Crow
Read the news for ten minutes and tell me how you feel.
Downtrodden. Everything's polarizing. You have to have an opinion on everything — and you have to have it by lunch.
I've stopped playing that game. Life is difficult enough on its own. So I try to keep my attention on the little joys — the stuff that doesn't trend, doesn't need a take, and is quietly making my life better every single day.
Here's my list. Then I want yours.
THE HUMMINGBIRDS
Bonus Song: Hummingbird- Wilco. In 2007 I went to Lollapalooza in Chicago at the best lineup of all time. My friend Steve and I borrowed his Mom’s minivan and went, slept on a mattress in the back. At Chipotle and home made peanutbutter and jelly sandwhiches. It was amazing. Radiohead, The National, and Rage against the machine were the big draws for me. There was a children show scheduled with a mystery artist. Of course I went and of course it was Chicago native Jeff Tweedy manning the stage. He can down to the handicap area and had all the kids gather around. He took requests from the crowd. Most of his songs are more grown up in thought and content. I shouted out “Hummingbird.” Low and behold he said yes! a great fit. A song that isn’t about sex or sadness! Enjoy!
I've got two hummingbird feeders going right now and they're migrating through, so I'm getting tons of them. I'm out there in the mornings when it's still cool, coffee in hand, and they're just dive-bombing each other over sugar water like it's the last feeder in Kentucky.
Species count, for those of you who've been following the birds saga: still under 50. One new bird all of last week. One. I'm having a hard time breaking through, and I've made peace with the fact that the birds don't care about my goals.
FOOTBALL
There's that old line — give them bread and circuses and the sheep stay entertained. I know. I've heard it.
I still really like football.
UK football is back and there's real energy around it with Will Stein. And the Bengals went and did what they did on defense this offseason, and I think we've set ourselves up to have a year. Maybe a Super Bowl run. I said it. You can quote me in January. Also, fantasy football allows you to show your business acumen. Excited about the new industry league this year!
FORMULA ONE
I'm a nerd about this one. I watch qualifying. I get up early on race mornings. I read the subreddits. I enjoy doing it with Colleen and her boyfriend Chris, and we make an event of it.
If you have any interest in F1 — even a little — hit me up. You're welcome to come geek out with me. I'm not kidding about that. Go Merc! Did you see Kimi last week? From 19th to 1st place at his home race in Italy…that hadn’t been won by an Italian since the 1950’s (I think). Also, the first Italian driver to be leading the Drivers Cup since the 1930’s. And he is only 20 years old! Thrilling!
MADDEN DRAFTS
I still love doing fantasy drafts on Madden. Not even playing the games most of the time — just the draft and sim. Seeing how players fit together, building a roster, watching it work. I put on classical music and zone out. It's the most therapeutic thing I do that costs nothing.
SLING BLADE
My most recent little joy is my robot lawnmower, Sling Blade.
Colleen came over to help me reattach his glow-in-the-dark, nine-inch eyeballs. The neighborhood kids love him. The neighbors love him. I get texts about this mower. People just like watching him go. ADD me can stand at the window and watch him for five minutes straight, and I'm not embarrassed about it.
He didn't get running on his own. My sister Katie and her husband Chris took on setting up the boundary line — which was an arduous task — and they just did it. And my buddy Nick Peskoe came over to help me get everything in order. Nobody had to. That was very kind, and I wanted to say it here.
FRESH SHEETS FRIDAY
Every Friday: fresh sheets, house in order. It always makes me feel really good going into the weekend.
And I love setting future Rob up for success. Fill the water tanks on the Keurig. Restock the pods. Restock the fridge. Run the dishwasher and empty it. It sounds like nothing. It's not nothing. It means Saturday and Sunday are just about me and the work I actually want to do — writing these, mostly — and there's nothing I have to do.
I've written before that your morning starts the night before. Turns out your weekend starts on Friday afternoon.
CARDIGANS
I love my cardigans. I love picking out which one. I'm running the house a little cooler right now, despite the heat outside, just so I can wear one and enjoy it. That's a choice I made on purpose and I stand by it.
CHRISTMAS, BRIEFLY
Some people will get on you about this stuff. I don't decorate much for Christmas. I definitely don't do it early, and I definitely don't let it linger. A few things, just so the neighborhood kids feel like I'm part of the magic — and that's it.
But if decorating makes you happy? Do it. Whatever makes you happy — do that. If it makes you happy…it can’t be that bad.
MR. BEAN
I like being silly. I've got a Mr. Bean with a waving hand that looks out the window. Creepier than the one above. People walking by see it, stare, wave back, and think it's a real person — or me. When I have people over I hide him in the bathtub or behind a door, and somebody always gets spooked. That never stops being funny to me.
FALL
I love fall. The fire pit. Working from the hammock, watching movies from the hammock, having to bundle up out there. Having people over. Entertaining. All of it.
Life is good. There's just a lot to be excited about if you're looking at the right things.
ONE MORE, AND IT'S A BIG ONE
I'm still waiting on the newest Red Rising book. I was really hoping it would come out before the end of the year so I could finish up chemo with it — those books are so long, I bet this last one lands near a thousand pages — but it doesn't look like it's going to make it this year.
If you're looking for a fictional series to just fall in love with going into the fall, read the Red Rising series. My buddy Nick Peskoe turned me on to it. I've recommended it to a bunch of people. I've mailed the books to a bunch of people. I've got friends who are now obsessed with it. It's that big — big enough that people argue it could only be done as an anime, though I think it could be a Game of Thrones–style epic if Apple or HBO ever steps up and pays for it.
Read it. Then reach out. I love talking about it and I will absolutely take the call.
You don't have to have an opinion on everything. You're allowed to just like hummingbirds.
📊 Yesterday’s poll: Wednesday’s readers lean on their title company or attorney first when a deal goes sideways — 33% picked that over their lender, contractor, or nobody at all. Lender and contractor tied at 22% each, and another 22% told me straight up they don’t have a go-to yet. If that’s you, that’s an easy gap to close — reply and I’ll point you to someone I trust.
Today’s poll:
What's your little joy right now?
Results in tomorrow’s issue.
🏆 The Top Five is ready as always — five real deals on the Louisville MLS this morning, five lowball setups, and the number I’d offer on each. I can’t blast other agents’ listings to a list, but I can send them to you personally. Reply “FIVE” and today’s is yours. And if there aren’t five great ones, I don’t send five.
Happily,
Rob Bergeron
Owner–Realtor at Award-Winning Winner Realty
Winner Realty | OffMarket.deals | Property Partner Data Company
Schedule time to discuss your goals, bottlenecks, or whatever’s on your mind — book me here.
PS:
And of course, new off-market deals from wholesalers and direct sellers — every day. Many exclusively at offmarket.deals!
PSS: There are tons of motivated sellers right now. Google searches for “can’t sell house” just hit an all-time high — above 2008. “Help with mortgage” is back to 2009 levels. And “can’t afford home” searches just surpassed the peak of the Global Financial Crisis. Sellers can’t sell, and owners can’t pay — especially with 30-year rates sitting at 6.73%. Inventory has climbed to 4,089. Multifamily has climbed too — 170 listings. Now, and heading into winter, is the time to get LOIs out. Learning seller financing terms to build into your offers is huge right now too — that’s exactly what I’d spend some time talking to Claude AI about. Happy to jump on a call and talk through it as well!