Land and Legacy

I’ve been very busy in the busy world doing lots of busy, busy things. 

However…it’s the end of the year – and almost at the start of another one – that we often allow time to slow down, take stock and reflect on what has been and what may be.

For me, this January 1st, I will do the opposite of what I was doing on January 2005. I will be driving to Manhattan, rather than away from it. That was the day I moved to Asheville from NYC.


I've earned my real estate license, and spent the last several months immersing myself in all the available opportunities to learn about the market. I’ve also finally got serious about looking after my investments and paying attention to the financial market. I’ve gotten a thorough education on just have closely those two are related. I think we all have.

I’ve always had an interest in this area of life –now, I have an opportunity to hone in on them and use the knowledge to help create the life that I want for myself.

If you’ve been reading my blogs, you know I’ve had a keen interest in gardening and sustainability – mostly since my short stint in Byron Bay, Australia.  Real estate is, after all, primarily about land – who owns it, controls it, uses it, improves it, and wastes it. It is natural that I am interested and involved.

I guess I became intensely interested when I discovered that Asheville has an Eco-steward certification. I love this! Agents who go through this 36-hour program are in a position to advise clients toward better, more sustainable and energy efficient homes. Perfect for me, because I sometimes think I’m a perpetual student – I love going to classes and learning. I need the structure (I’m a triple Pisces  - need I say more?) and I appreciate the discipline.

When I took the Asheville Board of Realtors Orientation a short while back, I was thrilled with my choice of getting my real estate license when the instructor asked me to read aloud the Preamble to the Code of Ethics for the National Association of Realtors:

“Under all is the land. Upon its wise utilization and widely allocated ownership depend the survival and growth of free institutions and of our civilization. REALTORS¨ should recognize that the interests of the nation and its citizens require the highest and best use of the land and the widest distribution of land ownership. They require the creation of adequate housing, the building of functioning cities, the development of productive industries and farms, and the preservation of a healthful environment.”

I learned from my grandparents – small farmers in the southeast – that when you own your land (whether we can really “own” land is another blog for another day), you are your own person. You can feed yourself and shelter yourself. You can not only survive but live a more healthy, both physically and spiritually, in world of nature and earth.

The land was here before us, and will be here long afterward. We must respect it and protect it. And return, we are bountifully rewarded. If not – well, we reap what we sow.

May the New Year bring us all love, peace, respect, and joy.