Don't judge a lot by it's cover.

I took this photo this past summer while visiting Seattle. While visiting West Seattle, I spent hours exploring the neighborhood on walks. I soaked in the sights assuming I may never return to this place again.

When we arrived, I felt right at home in the rental we were in. The area was very suburban and reminded me a lot of where I grew up in a Delaware suburb. It struck me that the West Coast wasn't that different from the East Coast. However, I would soon learn that looks can be deceiving!

To provide more context, this house & van were not the norm along my walks. It stood in the midst an ever-evolving neighborhood classic single family homes and new construction. This home was visually radical - both an eyesore and a history lesson.

However, once I started to dig deeper I came to realize that this home - that some might call a dump - could be easily worth twice as much as a modern home in Delaware. Homes in this neighborhood were easily in the $600,000 range and newer construction was well over $1 million. This left me with endless questions:

1. Was this home owner making a statement?
2. Was this home owner unaware of the value of their lot?
3. Is my beloved home of Delaware that much worse off?

I have yet to resolve any of these questions. However, I have learned several important things: Don't judge a lot by it's cover; the value of your home doesn't determine your joy; I want to explore new places - wherever I go; and, walking is great exercise for the brain and the body.

Hopefully, you will experience breakthroughs in 2018 as I did in 2017!