4 short stories with a surprising twist.

Gratitude, empathy and perspective. 

The world is not what it seems. 

“It is the obvious which is so difficult to see most of the time. People say 'It's as plain as the nose on your face.' But how much of the nose on your face can you see, unless someone holds a mirror up to you?”

― Isaac Asimov, I, Robot

Story #1

There's a brilliant reason why Van Halen asked for a bowl of M&Ms with all the brown candies removed before every show.

High-profile musicians make all sorts of wild demands about their backstage set-ups at concerts: Kanye West reportedly requires a barber's chair. Mariah Carey insists on two vases of white roses.

Rock band Van Halen had one of the most oddly specific requests of all: a bowl of M&M candies, with all the brown ones removed. For years, it was seen as complete folly — the band was making a ridiculous demand of concert organizers simply because they could get away with it.

The presence of even a single brown M&M in that bowl, rumor had it, was sufficient legal cause for Van Halen to peremptorily cancel a scheduled appearance without advance notice (and usually an excuse for them to go on a destructive rampage as well).

The M&Ms provision was included in Van Halen’s contracts not as an act of caprice, but because it served a practical purpose: to provide a simple way of determining whether the technical specifications of the contract had been thoroughly read and complied with. At a concert, “making a mistake” during setup can make the band sound bad or it can kill someone… which is exactly what the band was afraid of.

Story #2

Today was the absolute worst day ever?!

When you are struggling, sometimes you just need a different perspective

I want to share this special message with you in the hope that it will help you on days that are not going your way. This was written by a 14 year old.

Today was the absolute worst day ever

And don't try to convince me that

There's something good in every day

Because, when you take a closer look,

This world is a pretty evil place.

Even if

Some goodness does shine through once in a while

Satisfaction and happiness don't last.

And it's not true that

It's all in the mind and heart

Because

True happiness can be attained

Only if one's surroundings are good

It's not true that good exists

I'm sure you can agree that

The reality

Creates

My attitude

It's all beyond my control

And you'll never in a million years hear me say 

Today was a very good day

Now read it from bottom to top, the other way, and see what I really feel about my day.

Story #3

Mortgage – American dream or nightmare? 

Now, let me draw you a dark picture of a repeat home buyer named Joy. Joy is a responsible lady who made a few wrong financial turns and ended up with a low credit score of 580 (out of 850). Current interest rates are around 4.5%, but she has to settle for a rate above 5%, due to her low credit score. She has to provide lots of supporting documentation to lender, way more than she had to provide when she purchased her first home 10 years ago. Some of the questions that run through her head are: Why do I have to provide so much paperwork, why was my uncle’s rate so much better (lower) than mine, and finally, why does American government let these interest rates get so high?

Now is this an American nightmare? (and as Dwight Schrute from “The Office” would say) “False!” This is an American dream for those who don’t just talk about being grateful, but actually practice it:

The government has set new guidelines that now demand that banks prove beyond any doubt that you are indeed capable of affording the mortgage and own your home for a long time, which in turn, supports the economy and avoids foreclosures.

“Instead of buying dream homes, the goal should be to buy a home you can afford.” – Warren Buffet.

The friends and family who bought homes ten or twenty years ago experienced a simpler mortgage application process but also paid a higher interest rate (the average 30 year fixed rate mortgage was 8% in the 1990s and 6% in the 2000s). If you went to a bank and offered to pay 8% instead of 4%, they would probably bend over backwards to make the process much easier.

Joy’s uncle’s low interest rate was based on his perfect credit score of 800 and he probably forgot to mention that he decided to pick the option to pay thousands of dollars to buy down the rate to bring it below current market rate. Everyone has their own story.

One of the reasons that interest rates for mortgages in the US are relatively low, compared to the rest of the developed world is because mortgage loans are being bought by US sponsored organizations such as Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac. Their guidelines allow for these mortgages to be considered  low-risk because they are backed by the American Government and the US dollar. For instance, in London, a typical mortgage is going to require a 30% down-payment for an 8% ARM (non-fixed mortgage) and an upfront fee just for getting a mortgage (in thousands). ARM interest rates may change based on which direction the economy is heading. Typical mortgage rates in Russia are about 12% - 18%.

Story #4

A Father and His Son

An elderly woman boarded a train, as she usually did every day. After a few stops, she noticed a father and his adult son, who looked like he was well into his 20’s, board the train. They took their seats across the aisle from her.

Soon, the son started talking loudly to his father, telling him about the clouds that he saw outside and the buildings and trees the train was passing by. The father listened to him, and nodded encouragingly.

After a while, the elderly woman got annoyed by how loud the young man was speaking, and said to his father, “Excuse me, sir, but have you considered taking him to a special doctor?”

The father smiled at her, and replied: “Actually, we’re just coming back from the doctor. You see, my son has been blind since birth, and this is the first day he’s ever been able to see.”

This story reminds us all to never take anything for granted, and never assume we know someone else’s story.