Never Buy a House
A few weeks before my Papa passed, I was sitting with him in his room at home. He had been bedridden for so many months with leukemia that every conversation we had had become more and more precious to my existence. I know he was suffering and I know he was in pain. More than anything, I was aware that he was frustrated. He was frustrated with being disabled. He was frustrated with being incapable of talking for long periods of time. He was uncomfortable and sad. He looked at me, very deeply, and said, "Mija, never buy a house. This is probably the best way I am going to save you a lot of pain." I was so confused. What did the house have to do w/ my pain? He continued, "You're never fully going to enjoy it. You're going to work all your life for it and you're going to suffer. You're going to be chained to it and if you have to wait to retire to enjoy it, what is the point?" This was such a poignant conversation between me and my old man. He was s...