Why Dogs Live Less Than Humans

I received this story from a friend and decided to share it with you in its entirety.

The surprising answer of a six-year-old child

Being a veterinarian, I had been called to examine a ten-year-old Irish Wolfhound named Belker. The dog’s owners, Ron, his wife Lisa, and their little boy Shane, were all very attached to Belker, and they were hoping for a miracle.

I examined Belker and found he was dying of cancer. I told the family we couldn’t do anything for Belker and offered to perform the euthanasia procedure for the old dog in their home. As we made arrangements, Ron and Lisa told me they thought it would be good for six-year-old Shane to observe the procedure. They felt as though Shane might learn something from the experience. The next day, I felt the familiar catch in my throat as Belker’s family surrounded him. Shane seemed so calm, petting the old dog for the last time, that I wondered if he understood what was going on. Within a few minutes, Belker slipped peacefully away.

The little boy seemed to accept Belker’s transition without any difficulty or confusion. We sat together for a while after Belker’s Death, wondering aloud about the sad fact that dogs’ lives are shorter than human lives. Shane, who had been listening quietly, piped up,” I know why.” Startled, we all turned to him. What came out of his mouth next stunned me. I’d never heard a more comforting explanation. It has changed the way I try and live.

He said, “People are born so that they can learn how to live a good life — like loving everybody all the time and being nice, right?” The six-year-old continued, “Well, dogs already know how to do that, so they don’t have to stay for as long as we do.”

Live simply.
Love generously.
Care deeply.
Speak kindly.

Remember, if a dog was the teacher, you would learn things like:

• When your loved ones come home, always run to greet them.
• Never pass up the opportunity to go for a joyride.
• Allow the experience of fresh air and the wind in your face to be pure ecstasy.
• Take naps.
• Stretch before rising.
• Run, romp, and play daily.
• Thrive on attention and let people touch you.
• Avoid biting when a simple growl will do.
• On warm days, stop to lie on your back on the grass.
• On hot days, drink lots of water and lie under a shady tree.
• When you’re happy, dance around and wag your entire body.
• Delight in the simple joy of a long walk.
• Be faithful.
• Never pretend to be something you’re not.
• If what you want lies buried, dig until you find it.
• When someone is having a bad day, be silent, sit close by, and nuzzle them gently.

That’s the secret of happiness that we can learn from a good dog.”

Our best friend, labradoodle Max, is going to be seven in June, which can be the middle age for dogs. I used his images in three of my “42 Encounters” books, which you can find on Amazon.

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Where There Is a Wish, There Is a Way

You probably heard an expression “Where there is a wish, there is a way”. The question is “How much this way will cost?” This question directly relates to the cost of insurance. When recently my insurance policy came to the point of renewal, I had a concern. I knew that State Farm Insurance stopped “writing” policies in California. Fortunately, perhaps, since we did not have any claims, it was extended. The cost obviously went up. But I did not care, since if my insurance broker had to shop for another company, the price of the insurance probably would go even higher.

One of the concerns we have in the mortgage brokerage is how the increase in the monthly insurance premium affects the qualifying ratio. This was the reason why I decided to interview an insurance broker Alex Shkolnikov. We just scratched the surface. Follow this link to watch our conversation on my YouTube channel.

Please always feel free to call or text me at (415) 225-7920 when someone you care about needs an insurance. You can also email me: [email protected]. Alex can be reached at (415) 819-8006 or at [email protected]

Best wishes,

Manny Kagan,
President,
Pacific Bay Financial Corporation

NMLS #205637
DRE #00824602

I HAVE MY HEART
IN SAN FRANCISCO

I fell in love with San Francisco since the first days we moved here on August 19, 1980. Five members of our family – my wife and two of our daughters aged 5 and 12, my wife’s mother, and I, spent our first night in an “inexpensive” hotel located on Leavenworth and Eddy in the heart of the Tenderloin district. Looking out the window at night, we saw pimps, prostitutes and their customers in action. The next day, holding our children’s hands tight, we went to Market Street where we saw many people who talked to themselves (this was long before mobile phones).

It took us some time to get to know what San Francisco and its diverse people all were about. And my love for our city became deeper. Lately, we read a lot of negative comments about San Francisco. I do not want to diminish the real problems; but, like every city, it has history. It started on January 30^th, 1847, one hundred years before I was born, with the population of 459. The Gold Rush brought thousands of primarily young men to the place where there was nothing, I mean nothing. And believe me, they had more problems than you can imagine, especially in comparison with today’s reality.

I just finished reading “Antebellum and Civil War San Francisco: A Western Theater for Northern & Southern Politics” written by Monika Trobits. The book describes many events and personalities who influenced the creation of our beloved city. Basically, whatever the problems, this too shall pass, which is the adage of Persian origin:

This too, Shall Pass

When things are bad, remember,
It won’t always be this way.
Take one day at a time.
When things are good, remember,
It won’t always be this way.
Enjoy every great moment.

Recently, when I was at a business meeting in the South of Market, I came across the indication that things are getting better – a brand new restaurant, STK Steakhouse, which looked impressive. These three images posted above will tell the story better.

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You Can Buy Before You Sell

There is a number of loans in our arsenal which allow clients to buy a new property before selling the old one.

Recently, we had a presentation in our office by David Olsen from The Loan Store, who offered different new twists to the old story. Please click on this link to watch a fragment of our conversation with David.

…He used an example where departing/selling property value was $1,000,000 with the mortgage of $500,000. In this case, the lender will take 25% off, thus the balance is $750,000 minus $500,000 leaving $250,000 for the down payment or any other needs. This loan does not have monthly payments, and the only cost for the client is 2.4% or $24,000 which is going to be deducted when the property is sold.

We, mortgage brokers, do not earn any commission on this transaction. The remaining amount is going to be used for the down payment on the purchase of the new property, which will follow a normal underwriting guidance, for which it has to be qualified…

Feel free to call me with any questions, and I promise to help!

Manny Kagan,
President,
Pacific Bay Financial Corporation
(415) 225-7920
[email protected] 

NMLS #205637
DRE #00824602

HAPPY SPRING

Last Sunday, I received Happy Easter wishes from a friend (a client whom I recently helped to get a reverse mortgage). She is Catholic and I am Jewish and do not celebrate Easter. Nevertheless, my granddaughter was happy to find Easter eggs in her backyard.

The holiday commemorates the story of death and resurrection of a little-known Jewish preacher from the North of Israel, over two thousand years ago. Online I learned that Easter was first recorded in the year 384, and by the 10th century, it had gained general usage.

It took many years, different interpretations, and the infusion of Pagan traditions of bunnies and eggs, as well as Hallmark promotions, for this holiday to become popular. Regardless of what your religious beliefs are, one thing is for sure – every spring, a resurrection of nature occurs. It is manifested by the beautiful flower blooms, and young leaves on the trees.

As I am writing this story, I look into our garden where beautiful Calla lilies show their glory. You can see many of them in Golden Gate Park, by the Chinese Pavilion at Blue Heron Lake (formerly Stow Lake). Meanwhile, please enjoy these three images from our garden.

If you like flowers and would like to enjoy new ones every week, you can still order “53 Reminders:2024 Weekly Calendar” on Amazon. 

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BENEFITS OF LOVE

If you would ask our Labradoodle Max “Why do you love?”, and if he could respond in words, his answer might be, “I do not understand your question”, because Max’s purpose in life is to love. Meanwhile, humans are different creatures. And sometimes we forget that love can cure many problems.

Years ago, I had a business coach, who instructed me to stand in front of the mirror every day after waking up, and to repeat “I love myself” many times. It is a very important and powerful lesson, especially in our time when many young (and not so young) people express their feelings, which are opposite to love (I purposely do not mention these words), dividing the world into “us and them”, where “them” is a reflection of our own self. There was a reason why in the Bible it is written, “You have heard that it was said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy”. But I tell you, love your enemy and pray for those” (Matthew 5:43-48). But I question if those who express their feelings through social media and demonstrations blame others regardless of political affiliation, color of the skin, religion, gender or even the country they live in, read the Bible. Therefore, I would like to recommend reading “The Surprising Health Benefits of Love”, which I came across while browsing the web.

If you need love or would like to give love to someone, it is a good reason to get hold of my book “42 Encounters with Love”. It is available for purchase at this link. Read it yourself and share it with those you really care about. In the meantime, please spare a moment to read this poem from my forthcoming book “42 Encounters with Illumination”:

Myself

I cannot be myself
Unless I share myself with others.
That is an eternal message
Which I received some time ago.
This message became my life’s mission.
It helps me to understand
What life is all about,
Who am I, and why I am here,
In this place and time.
What it takes to be
The son, the brother and the husband,
Father, friend, co-worker,
Man or woman, child and the older person.
Only when I realized that I am part of all these people
Who fill my life, and whom I love,
I was able to find myself.

Expression of Love can be found everywhere, as you can see from the three images I’ve chosen to illustrate this post.

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Learn How to Help
Single Women to Retire in Comfort

Last week a friend of mine, Ms. Ildiko Pali, who is a real estate broker and who read my book “Retirement Solutions for Smart People™. How to accomplish Financial Comfort”, asked me to share with her some stories about single women who would benefit from the reverse mortgage. “Why do you need it?” I asked. “I want to help single women to retire,” she answered.

As it happened last Thursday, one of my clients, who fit the description, was signing her loan documents in my office for the reverse mortgage. Gayle Montalbano, who is 85, came to me first time a year ago. We discussed reverse mortgage, but she was not mentally ready. Her income was social security plus line of credit, which she used to supplement her financial needs. Unfortunately, Gayle used the same source to make minimum monthly payment. Realizing that this arrangement cannot last, she came back and a few weeks ago I interviewed her when we started the loan process.

It took about thirty days to get to the finish line. I used this opportunity to ask more questions during the short interview with Gayle and the notary public Kevin Ledbetter.

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How to Set Goals and Reach Them

While driving, I listened to a podcast of someone interviewing Tony Robbins. During the conversation, the issue of setting goals came up. I found two definitions online:

1. A pair of posts linked by a crossbar and often with a net attached behind (in football, soccer and some other sports).
2. The object of person’s effort, an aim or desired result.

Have you ever wondered what these two definitions have in common? Well, if your goal is to get the ball between two posts, it may happen or not. After all, both teams might have the same goal. And what if instead of setting a goal to win, the goal would be to have fun playing and bring joy to the spectators? This might not be realistic, but this is exactly why so many goals are not attainable. For example, if you just want to lose weight, instead of setting a goal to reach a certain number, focus on the process, during which you are going to have fun. Do not set the result as a number; but rather, the reason why you want to do achieve the result. For example, to be able to fit into an old suit or dress for a dance with a special person.

I hope you get the idea. Try it and let me know how it worked.

My personal goal is to help more people to enjoy their retirement. This is why I’ve written “Retirement Solutions for Smart People™. How to Accomplish Financial Comfort”. Let’s have fun helping others to reach their goals.

I suspect that during the basketball game the spectators’ goal was to have a good time, since none of us could affect the results. The three images, showing above, might attest to that.

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INTERNATIONAL WOMEN’S DAY

I am currently helping a young woman, who was born in India, to buy her first condominium in San Francisco. Her name is Isha which in Hebrew with the accent on the last letter “a” means a woman. She told me that in Hindu (with the accent on letter “i”), her name means God. Online I found out, it is actually “a gender-neutral name of Hindu origin, meaning “one who protects”. It comes from a Sanskrit word, which means “the ruling Goddess”. The word Isha also has Arabic roots which translates to “life”. Since Hebrew and Arabic both belong to the same Semitic language family, they are very similar languages, so we can see that everything connects.

A woman who protects and rules her family life and by extension, is part of the large family of the whole world. And this brings us to the celebration of today’s day – March 8th, which is International Women’s Day. When I was growing up in Riga, Latvia, The Women’s Day was an important event, which allowed men an official reason to drink vodka so as to toast for women’s health.

I was blessed to live all of my life surrounded by women. Besides my hard-working and loving mother, I had a sister who was twelve years younger, and I was her babysitter. Then, at twenty, I got married and moved to live in an apartment with my wife’s mother, who became my new mother. Shortly after, our first daughter was born. After immigrating to Israel, we were blessed with the birth of our second daughter. We came to San Francisco in 1980, and in 1985 together with my wife Elfa, started Pacific Bay Financial Corporation, which we manage together to this day. And now we added one more female to our family – our 3.5 years young granddaughter. My assistants and processors are women, so are many of my clients. One of my life’s rules is “my wife is always right” (from time to time I try to challenge this rule, just to arrive to the same conclusion). In my view, we do not need a special day to celebrate women, we can do it all the time. 

These three beautiful images of flowers are my gifts to every woman.

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