MIAMI, FLORIDA – DECEMBER 08: Zach LaVine #8 of the Chicago Bulls dunks against the Miami Heat during overtime at American Airlines Arena on December 08, 2019 in Miami, Florida. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and/or using this photograph, user is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
While ESPN is promoting a H-O-R-S-E contest beginning on Sunday, involving both current and former NBA and WNBA players, here’s why having another dunk contest would really peak fan interest.
With Chicago Bulls basketball suffering like the rest of sports during this time of uncertainty, one thing that is for certain is the NBA and WNBA have worked together in promoting a good, old-fashioned H-O-R-S-E competition to give die-hard basketball fans something fun and exciting to watch, starting on Sunday.
While this event is likely to draw in plenty of viewers and positive fan reaction from all over, what would no doubt be even more intriguing is if the NBA and WNBA participated together in a dunk contest in the upcoming weeks.
Would you a fan, rather see people playing a game of HORSE, or competing in a competitive, entertaining, rim-shattering dunk-off? So many fans tune into the NBA All-Star Weekend show to see who is going to prevail in the Dunk Contest, as opposed to the three-point contest or skills challenge. Those other contests, including a game of HORSE, are entertaining to watch in their own respective aspects, but everyone knows that the Dunk Contest is the main event.
Imagine watching Zach LaVine, Zion Williamson, Ja Morant, LeBron James, and other breathtaking dunkers who didn’t participate in February’s Dunk Contest compete against one another in an upcoming Dunk Contest that ESPN and other major sports networks can televise. Throw in a WNBA star like Brittney Griner in the competition as well and there’s no doubt this event would be must-see TV, if it hadn’t been already.
No one knows how long it will actually be before players and teams of all sports can get back to doing what they all love. In the meantime, there’s plenty of opportunity available to make another Dunk Contest possible, while effectively continuing to promote the NBA, WNBA, and all of their players in the process.
Let’s hope this becomes a reality, because it’d be a win-win for all parties involves, and even more importantly, for fans of all sports.
In an effort to raise spirits and bring Chicago residents together, Alderman Andre Vasquez has been the primary organizing force behind a large-scale sing-along of the late Bill Withers’s “Lean On Me,” scheduled to take place 7 p.m. Saturday, April 11. Vasquez is an alderman in the 40th ward, which largely encompasses the north side’s Andersonville neighborhood.
Photo Credit: Chicago Unite At Night Facebook
Also intended as a tribute to the legendary singer-songwriter, the sing-along follows current social distancing guidelines— details included on the Facebook event page encourage residents to sing from their windows or in front of their homes. According to Vasquez’s social media post promoting the event, MeTV FM Radio (87.7 FM) will also participate by playing “Lean On Me” over the airwaves during the scheduled sing-along on Saturday.
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Photo Credit: Chicago Unite At Night Facebook
In the event discussion (which includes complete lyrics to the 1972 chart-topper), Vasquez wrote in a post on April 8 that, after the sing-along, participants should “make some noise in support of our healthcare, retail, and city workers, along with our teachers!” As of Thursday, over 300 people had responded as either “interested” or “going” to the Facebook event.
Photo Credit: Gilles Petard/Redferns/Getty Images
Withers, who wrote and recorded other such hits as “Ain’t No Sunshine” and “Lovely Day,” passed away March 30 at the age of 81 as a result of heart complications. His life and music career have since been memorialized by fellow musicians, public figures, and fans around the world. On April 3, in a tribute to Withers on Twitter, Bill Clinton pointed out the timeliness of the song “Lean On Me,” writing, “Today as we mourn his death, we should lean into the sentiment of one of his most loved songs: lean on each other when times are tough and know that there’s always tomorrow. May he rest in peace.”
Even though we all are capable of making our own cocktails at home, if you’re running low on supply, many bars are now selling cocktail kits so you can make your favorite drinks at home while still supporting local Chicago bars.
This Italian place is sticking to its roots and offering two cocktail kits to go. You can go with the Negroni kit that includes gin, Campari and sweet vermouth, or you can get the spritz kit with prosecco, Aperol and soda.
This seafood place is offering a few different cocktail kits. You can get a Manhattan cocktail kit for $55, a Negroni kit for $70 or a mimosa kit for $25.
Lawry’s cocktail kit is called “Meat Me at Home” and includes vodka, two martini glasses, a martini shaker and a jar of horseradish and prime rib stuffed olives for $40.
This well-known brunch spot is selling $20 mimosa kits, $15 Bloody Mary kits that include all the fixings. You can add on an additional bottle of vodka for just $25.
Big Star is selling its famous margaritas and old fashioneds to go. You’ll get a bottle of tequila, orange liqueur and margarita mix for $50. Add one of these on to an order of amazing tacos.
Club Lucky is offering its own version of a Quarantini. You can order a liter of the Club Lucky signature vodka along with blue cheese stuffed olives or pickled Gibson onions for $30.
This speakeasy, cocktail lounge is offering $100 Cocktail Kits which include everything you need to make Old Fashioneds or the bar’s own gin cocktail, Juliet & Romeo.
I feel the presence of the Coronavirus anxiety demons.
On the surface: the stubble of three days without shaving; an empty Häagen-Dazs container and a physique slowly morphing into Papa Blue Smurf; in the corner of my closet an accumulating pile of laundry measures my lurking discontent.
Seeping within: dark feelings of helplessness and desolation; the futility of it all as I watch the myth of America exposed, the curtains of liberty, justice and equality violently pulled apart.
I’m heading toward a place I do not want to occupy while sheltering in place. I feel as if I’m struggling to survive. My sympathetic nervous system is a Swat team waiting to bust down the door holding my turmoil in check.
I must calm myself. Heightened anxiety is not helpful as we adjust to four walls and twenty-four/seven of the same, unrelenting dirge. If I am to face down the side effects of the pandemic, I must calm myself.
I know how to do it. To relax I must access the parasympathetic nervous system responsible for the body’s metabolic process. I must breathe, consciously breathe, literally following a breathing pattern that will connect me to the basic wellspring of existence.
By consciously breathing I can regulate my emotional state and preoccupation with distracting thoughts. As I become still, I connect with a higher state of consciousness, or “spirit,” that leads to a peaceful state of mind. Feeling calm, with my responses rooted in relaxation rather than acute anxiety, I feel love rather than fear. And since feelings, thoughts and behaviors are interrelated… then I can control the anxiety that threatens my state of mind.
I’m not flouting some eye-rolling psycho-babble. Follow this exercise and you’ll feel for yourself the power of conscious breathing.
Sit quietly and notice where in your body you feel the tension. Remember that the tension is something you “have,” it is not who you “are.”
Give the tension a color and shape to help you detach it from your body. Simply observe it as an image in your mind. Note on a scale of 1 to 10 the level of your feelings triggered by the picture you have created.
Now just breathe and watch the image. Breathe and watch. Breathe and watch. Given your full attention the image will change color and/or shape.
Continue to breathe and watch. The color will change its hue; the shape will get bigger or smaller.
The stressful tension you have pictured will either get very strong and then dissipate… or get very weak and then dissipate. But one way or the other, it will dissipate!
If during your hectic schedule you can commit five minutes to settle yourself in peace and stillness, it will make an enormous difference in how you feel and how you conduct yourself throughout the day. When you are at peace, the energy of your physical body takes the shape of what is known as the Divine Will, and you will become more fully aware of who you are and whom you are meant to be.
We cannot control the existence of the Coronavirus. We can control how we respond to its debilitating presence.
In the course of a long business career I held many titles familiar to the corporate world. But as I quickly learned the lofty nameplates no longer apply when your career comes to a close and you move from the corner office to a corner of the den. The challenge was to stay vital and active rather than idling on the sidelines. I had to create a new foundation upon which to build life’s purpose and joy.
I stopped adding up my stock portfolio as a measure of my net worth and developed a healthy self esteem independent of applause from others.
I am the co-author of The In-Sourcing Handbook: Where and How to Find the Happiness You Deserve, a practical guide and instruction manual offering hands-on exercises to help guide readers to experience the transformative shift from simply tolerating life to celebrating life. I also am the author of 73, a popular collection of short stories about America’s growing senior population running the gamut of emotions as they struggle to resist becoming irrelevant in a youth-oriented society.
The title doesn’t make any sense. Who wants to be imperfect? Well, who wants to spend their entire life being unhappy? The answer would be no one. But, that is what you are likely to do if you are always in search of perfection. Here, imperfection is not the opposite of perfection like good is the opposite of bad. Imperfection here is rather a “freedom from perfection”. That is what we all ultimately want – to be free from the chains of unrelenting perfection. Instead, learn to fly on the wings that you have been given, not the ones that you believe everyone wants you to have. It’s time to let go and just “be”.
It’s not as easy as it sounds. Self-help books always talk about letting go but they never quite get to the instruction part. We all want to rise above the morass that is grasping day after day for an unattainable perfection in every area of our lives. Some people have reached that point or they wouldn’t be writing books about it, right? Why can’t the rest of us join, too? All we need is a bit of enlightenment. So, here goes.
In this article, you will learn what imperfection and perfection mean. Find out how to embrace your inner “imperfection” and be quite comfortable with it. Cultivate the skills you need to make the most of yourself throughout your life as well as permitting others to do so as well.
Who are you?
How many of us have asked that question in the mirror? Throughout your life, you may ask that question many times. What kinds of answers do you get? Could it be that you have not grasped the importance of who you truly are so you keep asking? Most people think that they keep asking because they are not perfect yet. Here’s a news flash: No one is perfect. As long as you are in this human skin, mistakes will always be made.
We are created on the “trial and error” principle. We find things out by learning. The learning process involves trying, failing, trying again and finding a solution so we can move on. New neural pathways are created by experiences, good and bad, positive and negative. Accepting, that point will begin the journey to true self-acceptance.
Many people look to others to tell them who they are. This is a mistake. Other people can summarize their experiences with you, but that is not all to your story. Yes, every human being has a unique story. Even if you share some experiences with others, your perspective on them is never exactly like someone else’s.
In this life, we are burdened down with preconceived notions. Our parents may have believed them so we simply adopt them for ourselves. What was the American Dream that everyone came to the shores of America to obtain? It might have been the white picket fence, a spouse and 2.5 kids (that last kid has a hard way to go). In reality, that dream doesn’t fit every life.
The “dream” is supposed to be subjective. It’s whatever you feel fits your best self, not a pre-formed mold that pops out perfectly happy people.
People have undoubtedly died without realizing that they were playing a role. Who they were meant to be was lost in who they were supposed to be or who they needed to be to “fit in”. It’s sad and also unfair. We owe it to ourselves to love and be loved for who we are. When you can love and accept then you can truly “belong”.
LIVING A WHOLE-HEARTED LIFE
Whole-hearted means with your “whole heart”. How many of us have ever done anything with our whole being involved? We’re not talking about pushing through when you were tired. From the beginning, you pursued a passion for something with all that you truly were at the time. You hoped you believed and you trusted.
That is really what we all want – to be satisfied with ourselves. It is not about material things, although the world would have you think so. If that were the case why do people who seem to have “arrived” succumb to drugs, alcohol, suicide or some other downward spiraling situation? They didn’t have to worry about money, so what made them so unhappy? Many think the answer is material because this is what they lack. They blame others for being weak over it but the reason is deeper than that. They didn’t feel validated or valued.
When you look outside of yourself for validation, you may find it. More likely, you will find a rollercoaster where sometimes you are in favor of others and sometimes you are at their mercy. That’s no way to live your entire life.
If you desire to live a full and whole-hearted life, it’s about your imperfections and embracing them. Get started by studying on and cultivating “courage,” “compassion,” and “connection” in your life.
Courage
When people think of courage, they talk about soldiers, first responders and those who work in dangerous professions. These people do have courage and bravery. They exhibit “heroism”. It is the state of putting your life on the line for someone else. For many, it is the mandate of their job to be heroic. It takes a special person to volunteer for this type of courageous service.
The courage spoken of here is the ordinary kind that most people don’t take the time to
sow into their lives anymore. It is the courage to stand up for someone else, to show your vulnerability where it might be ridiculed or to sympathize with someone else. This exemplifies the everyday courage that can impact the lives of every human being you come in contact with. That’s power, isn’t it?
Courage to be who you are allows others to do the same. What gets in the way of courage? Often it is shame or embarrassment or guilt. You want to raise your hand and ask for clarification in class but don’t because everyone else seems to “get it”. There are those preconceived notions again. You think “everyone knows what’s going on except me.” When you show courage and fight for yourself and raising your hand, others will follow suit. By the end of class, everyone is on the same page.
Compassion
This is a tough one. How many of us jump on the bandwagon of blaming another because everyone else is doing it? No one wants to be singled out as different. If society had its way, we’d all look, act and think the same. It’s like “Big Brother” is here. With the absence of compassion, we lose a part of our humanity.
What is compassion anyway? It is acknowledging the light and dark places in our lives (mostly the dark places, we don’t mind if people stare into the light.) Then we are free to be there for someone else when they need a listening ear. Instead of holding a mistake over someone else, we can let them into our vulnerable places by sharing an experience that could help them. It gives way to understanding. We are taken into the breach with someone else without judgment, only to share their experience for their sake.
Compassion also works when coupled with boundaries. Holding people accountable for their actions shows a desire to help them to achieve their best. It helps you to separate what they do or don’t do from who they are. The opposite is often the case when we “shame and blame”.
Have you ever ridiculed someone for something they did? It could be a friend, a spouse or even your child. In sports, shaming is supposed to toughen up players by making them take criticism to whip them into shape. You might as well put their hands and head in the stocks and throw rotten tomatoes at them. The results would be the same. Ridicule demoralizes the person at the deepest levels. It attacks who they are – their identity.
Instead of helping it hurts them. You don’t look too good either. Your conduct is brought into question for haranguing someone in this way. When you set boundaries, people know you are serious. Kids that can’t watch television if they don’t clean their rooms are more likely to do so.
Their motivation is something they want or praise or reward. Boundaries also show confidence in another person. You don’t want to dish out consequences so you do all you can to assist them in completing the task.
Connection
Social media is no excuse for true connection. It is communicating with others but not getting to “know” them. That takes effort, courage, and compassion. From miles away, you can say you would help another but what would you do when faced with a situation? Want to develop great relationships with coworkers, family, spouses, and friends? Practice getting and staying connected.
When we take the time to invest in another life, our own lives are enhanced. What does it take to invest? It could be asking someone about their family. Show interest and actively listen when another speaks. See yourself in their situation. Suspend judgment as you listen.
Connection also means offering help. Did you know that there is a stigma placed on getting help? Just look at the number of mentally ill people on the streets. Families are reluctant to admit they have mental issues for fear of how others will treat them. In the same way, people who offer help can feel in some way superior to those that ask for it. This prevents them from getting the help they need when the time comes.
To live freely, we have to be able to embrace all areas of who we are. When you can accept it, then asking for help seems logical and necessary to live wholeheartedly and with purpose. And, you give all of yourself to help others without thinking any less of them for needing a hand.
TIPS FOR LIVING YOUR BEST IMPERFECT LIFE
Now that you know what you need to begin living a more fulfilling life (courage, compassion, and connection), here are some tips to put those traits into practice. The only way to get them is to experience them.
Let go – This is not the same as giving up. What you need to let go of is the expectations of others for your life. Set goals for your life and challenge yourself. But, do so with goals that satisfy how you see yourself living. Don’t use someone else’s measuring stick to chart your path.
Love everyone, beginning with yourself – This is the biggest tip. Shaming and blaming, jumping on the bandwagon, trying to fit in and other actions stem from not wanting attention paid to our flaws and shortcomings. Some people will compromise their values and beliefs to fit in and not be ridiculed by others.
What is the cost of your life? Is it worth trading in for the opinions of other human beings just like you? Invest in yourself by taking the time to accept who you are in love. Then and only then can you find places and people to whom you “belong” as an authentic “you” and not a cardboard cutout.
Forget perfection – It is a pipe dream. Each person has their vision of what’s important to their life. Your vision is the one to hold onto. Find ways to live your life around it. Share it with others. Be vulnerable with it. Find out how to be the best person that you can become in the time you have on this planet.
Transform yourself – Everyone evolves. The person you were yesterday is not the person you will be ten years from now and that is how it should be. What it shouldn’t be is you chasing an unrealistic expectation based on society or friends who would rather you reflect them instead of who you are. If you desire changes in your attitude, your body, your career or your family life, do so from a position of acceptance and love of the current state of things and not to impress someone else.
Trust yourself – Who knows you better than you? Take a step in a direction. If it doesn’t work, then change course. Have faith in the process that is your life. Take the time to get to know your likes, dislikes, dreams, hopes, pet peeves and the rest. All of your other relationships stem from the one you have with you. It is hard to truly give to another person if you don’t first have these things within yourself.
We have a fascination with perfection. Instead of finding nirvana, most people find disappointment, anxiety, judgment and a face in the mirror that is not truly their own. Who you are is more important to live (yours and that of others) than trying to fit a certain shape or mold. The world is waiting for you and your unique gifts, talents, and presence. It would be deprived of a shining light if you sell yourself short by conforming to the wishes of the world instead of the God-given potential that is waiting inside of you to burst forth.
Living imperfectly is not a flaw but a privilege. When you take the courage to be free and present yourself as you are, unconsciously, you permit others to be themselves as well. And that’s a win-win for everyone.
2234 N. Southport Ave. in Chicago: $1,799,500 | Listed on Mar. 9, 2020
This 4,400-square-foot Sheffield Neighbors home has five bedrooms, 3.5 bathrooms and was renovated in 2014. The kitchen has custom white and espresso cabinetry, stainless steel appliances, quartz countertops, an island, butler’s pantry and a beverage fridge. The kitchen opens to the family room with a gas fireplace. Separate formal living and dining rooms have 10-foot ceilings and hardwood floors, plus a handcrafted staircase with custom glass panels. The master suite includes two walk-in closets and a bathroom with heated marble floors, a rain shower, tub and double vanity. A recreation room and wet bar completes the lower level. Outside is a Trex deck, landscaped yard, irrigation system, brick-paver patio and two-car garage.
Agent: Mario Greco of Berkshire Hathaway HomeServices Chicago, 773-687-4696
Lily is a beautiful, sweet and friendly, three-year-old, 57-pound, female white American Staffordshire Terrier with black polka dots and cropped ears looking for a loving guardian.
Lily is wonderful with every human she’s ever met. She is such a happy dog her tail doesn’t stop wagging.
She has some dog friends but is particular about who she enjoys playing with.
Lily is de-wormed, up-to-date on vaccines, spayed, heartworm-tested, on monthly preventative and micro-chipped. Her adoption fee of $175 benefits the rescued pets of Pei Land Shar Pei Rescue. Sadly, at her young age she had surgery for mast cell cancer. She’s healthy now but we don’t know if and when it will ever come back.
To meet and possibly adopt Lily, please contact Jen at [email protected] or 630-553-7829.
“‘Mail-in voting is horrible. It’s corrupt,’ Trump said during a Coronavirus Task Force press briefing. ‘Sure I can vote by mail… because I’m allowed to. Well that’s called out-of-state,’ Trump continued, attempting to justify what observers denounced as a glaringly hypocritical position. ‘You know why I voted? Because I happened to be in the White House and I won’t be able to go to Florida and vote.'” [Common Dreams]
I’m Jerry Partacz, happily married to my wife Julie for over 40 years. I have four children and eleven grandchildren. I’m enjoying retirement after 38 years of teaching. I now have an opportunity to share my thoughts on many things. I’m an incurable optimist. I also love to solve crossword puzzles and to write light verse. I love to read, to garden, to play the piano, to collect stamps and coins, and to watch “Curb Your Enthusiasm”.
This came from a friend; apparently it’s circulating on the internet. I don’t know if a Rita Silver wrote it, but whoever did deserves credit for lightening our day:
From: RITA SILVER Date: April 7, 2020
My neighbor got a pre-declined credit card in the mail.
CEO’s are now playing miniature golf.
Exxon-Mobil laid off 25 Congressmen.
I saw a Mormon with only one wife.
McDonald’s is selling the 1/4 ouncer.
Angelina Jolie adopted a child from America.
Parents in Beverly Hills fired their nannies and learned their children’s names.
A truckload of Americans was caught sneaking into Mexico.
A picture is now only worth 200 words.
When Bill and Hillary travel together, they now have to share a room.
The Treasure Island casino in Las Vegas is now managed by Somali pirates.
And, finally…
I was so depressed last night thinking about the economy, wars, jobs, my savings, Social Security, retirement funds, etc., I called the Suicide Hotline. I got a call center in Afghanistan, and when I told them I was suicidal, they got all excited, and asked if I could drive a truck
Despite the coronavirus disruption the Chicago real estate market remains in balance
On Tuesday I reported on how the coronavirus is hitting the Chicago real estate market with a dramatic plunge in both contract and listing activity. What I didn’t go into at the time is whether or not this has created a buyer’s or seller’s market – i.e. how is the balance in the market? I didn’t go into it at the time because to discuss it properly I need to get a little geeky.
What I like to look at is inventory levels, for which there must be a dozen ways of calculating it. Looking at absolute numbers of homes for sale doesn’t tell you much because it’s only meaningful relative to how many buyers are out there. That’s why we like to look at months of supply – i.e. how long would it take to sell through the current inventory given some sales rate.
Well, it turns out there are probably half a dozen ways of doing that too. You can look at end of the month inventory or inventory available at some point during the month. You can also use either contracts or closings in the denominator and you can use either current month activity or an annual average. See what I mean? It gets pretty geeky.
Let me start by explaining that what I’ve been looking at in my monthly updates is months of supply based upon homes for sale and the average number of sales during the year. Notice that I didn’t define that very precisely. That’s because it comes out of a black box system for realtors which doesn’t define it very precisely. I’m trying to get more information and when I do I’ll come back and update this post. In the meantime, the important point is that it uses an average level of activity for the year and that means that the months of supply will be high in September and low in December when the number of homes for sale are high and low respectively.
That may be intuitive but it’s actually better to base the months of supply on the level of activity for each month for which you are calculating the inventory level which better represents the supply/ demand balance at a moment in time. When you do that you actually get a graph that is shifted to the right by several months compared to what I normally show you. So the relative inventory low point is actually April instead of December.
The inventory of homes, based upon months of supply using contracts written, hits the low point in the spring.
You could justifiably ask why I don’t normally report the inventory this way. Honestly, the reason is that the system I use for this only goes back 2 years and doesn’t produce a graph. So it would be a lot more work for me to archive the data and manually create my graphs.
But what does all this mean for the impact of the coronavirus on the Chicago real estate market? Well, if you look at the graph above you’ll see that the March inventory level is indeed higher than it has been in the previous 2 years but not by much. More importantly, inventory was still way, way lower than it often is from September – December. So I would say that right now it’s still a seller’s market. Later this year, with an expected further decline in contracts and more homes on the market, probably not so much.
#RealEstate #ChicagoRealEstate #Coronavirus
Gary Lucido is the President of Lucid Realty, the Chicago area’s full service real estate brokerage that offers home buyer rebates and discount commissions. If you want to keep up to date on the Chicago real estate market or get an insider’s view of the seamy underbelly of the real estate industry you can Subscribe to Getting Real by Email using the form below. Please be sure to verify your email address when you receive the verification notice.
After 20 years in the corporate world and running an Internet company, Gary started Lucid Realty with his partner, Sari. The company provides full service, while discounting commissions for sellers and giving buyers rebates.
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