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Thank heavens for Kintsugi! At sixty-eight (that's old!) I'm glad we're 'celebrating the cracks instead of hiding them!' This piece is probably the tenth or twelfth I've read since subscribing, but I've seen little of either your family or your work. Having built homes for forty years, I'd love to know more about what you're doing, and the family that supports your creativity. Can you point me towards something in your archives which fills in some of the blanks?

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So glad you subscribed, Bob. Great to have you here. I’m sure there is a whole lot we could talk about regarding homebuilding. Here is one of my favorite pieces that comes directly from my experience in the field.

https://open.substack.com/pub/martinbrodsky/p/societal-cross-sections?r=60swg&utm_medium=ios

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You know, I admittedly don’t write about my family enough. Sometimes that’s by design, but these two pieces get into my beautiful support system more than the rest . . .

https://martinbrodsky.substack.com/p/in-the-thick-of-it

https://open.substack.com/pub/martinbrodsky/p/aging-out?r=60swg&utm_medium=ios

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I'm the kind of gal who fix something herself or die trying!

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Feb 15Liked by Martin Brodsky

This is one of my favorites of your pieces--though I love them all. Indeed, self-reliance is a gift we need to give to ourselves more often. And, we need to see it as a gift, not as a burden. Thank you very much for your words of wisdom, and the reminder of Emerson's.

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I love that idea of it as a gift to ourselves. So true. I feel like I could have quoted so much more from Emerson, as well---absolute wisdom in his work.

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Feb 14Liked by Martin Brodsky

Well, for the rest of my life I'm now going to hear [in a Sam Elliott voice] "When a cowboy fixes things, he fixes them right" every time I try to put a band-aid on something I should otherwise be fixing more permanently.

But only time will tell if it pushes me to more long-term solutions, or if I'll just smile as I bust out the trusty duct tape and chewing gum and stare in awe at my beautiful, creative, wildly temporary solution.

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I’d call that a win, either way

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Feb 14Liked by Martin Brodsky

I’m one who enjoys analyzing problems or things that unexpectedly break, usually after I finish cussing at the inanimate object that broke. I do this because I feel a real sense of pride once I accomplished the repair. I must say Google and Amazon are my go to when wanting to understand the repair process and the supplies needed.

Recently, I had a flat tire and found the valve stem rotted. My first reaction (after cussing out the valve stem) was to Google if it’s possible to replace a valve stem without removing the tire from the wheel and in my case removing the wheel at all. Turns out; it’s not only possible, but took less than five minutes and probably saved me $100

Tasked accomplished!

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I've learned from the best

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Ah, I love this. Nothing quite like bringing different circles into contact with one another . . . One of the main reasons I love my job. I appreciate the kind words! Looking forward to continuing the conversation!

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Martin, you 'call em like you see em!' my friend. Quick story - I have thousands: I ran into my client one day on-site engaging my subcontractors in conversation. Concerned he might be thinking that I wasn't doing my job, self-consciously I asked, "Tom, everything okay, are we living up to your expectations?" I'll never forget the response from one of Dallas' premier business titans, "Bob, I spend my whole life downtown on the twenty-sixth floor listening to subordinates who 'blow smoke up my skirt' all day long. I love to be right here in the middle of all this work, talking with your guys and getting their views on life. As opposed to what I hear downtown, it's so refreshing to come out here and hear NOTHING BUT THE PLAIN UNVARNISHED TRUTH!" Pretty well sums it up, don't you think?

Keep building, we'll talk (or write) again soon!

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