House finches. They flew in with twigs and branches in their beaks and I watched as a nest began to take shape.  Their little home sits on top of the gutter in a corner.  It is sheltered from the weather by the soffit and in perfect view from my sunroom windows. I doubt they agonized over the location or the materials they used, they just showed up one day and got to work. The finished product is not much to look at; small and messy with branches dangling below the gutter.  The chicks have hatched and despite the size and disheveled nature of their home, it suits their needs perfectly.  Isaac Newton said, ‘Nature is pleased with simplicity and nature is no dummy.’  

16 years ago this month, we bought our first home. Watching the birds reminded me of that beginning. It was the first and only house we looked at. After the closing, we sat on the front steps and drank champagne straight from the bottle.  I don't remember what we talked about as we passed the bottle back and forth, but I know that we were happy.

Sitting next to the man I love on those sagging steps, my love for real estate was born.  We didn't make a spreadsheet or a budget or a pro and con list.  We didn't consider school rankings, the real estate market or interest rates.  You could argue that we should have made a budget and asked a few more questions and you wouldn’t be wrong, but there are times when well meaning research and carefully set parameters results in analysis paralysis. I’m certain that I would have convinced myself that we weren’t ready if I had done any of those things. I'm not an advocate for reckless behavior, but there are times in life when the best decisions don’t make sense on paper.   When that happens, remember that life is not lived on a spreadsheet and sometimes following your heart is the best way to find the beauty in simplicity.