‘Tis the Season…for Tenderness and, uh, Toast!

Buying or selling a home can feel a little like being invited to a stress smorgasbord. There’s an appetizer of worry, a second course of chaos, perhaps a cheese plate of confusion… and for dessert, a nice warm slice of What am I even doing with my life?

I know this because I live it – alongside my clients, up close and personal – every single week. Because real estate is where some of life’s biggest transitions collide: job changes, relationship shifts, health challenges, moving, aging. If they’re thrown at us one at a time, we can handle them with grace. Two or more? That’s when even the calmest soul starts wondering if maybe they could meditate lying down while eating chocolate.

Change is inevitable and stress is its constant companion. This time of year – when the light is weaker, softer and more fleeting – is a lovely time to orient inward, think smaller, get quieter.

I highly recommend reading (or re-reading) one of my favorite re-readable books, The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame. It contains lots of moments where characters are finding joy and contentment in the simplest things. There’s a scene where the hapless, self-important Mr. Toad — down on his luck and feeling despondent — is revived by nothing more than hot tea and buttered toast. 

Grahame’s description of the toast alone could heal whatever ails ya:

“…very hot buttered toast, cut thick, very brown on both sides, with the butter running through the holes in great golden drops…”

Warm food, a warm home — and a warm corner in which to dream — restores him. As it can restore all of us.

My holiday wish for you is simple:

May you find a warm corner.
May you curl up with a good book.
May you rest well.
May you dream the pleasantest of dreams.

May 2026 bring you (and all beings) ease, clarity, joy, and peace. Here’s a toast to you and yours! (And please think of me next time you enjoy a nice piece of toast – white, whole wheat or gluten free.)