Craig Ruvere

01Mar 2022 by CJ

Updates and Remodels Make Your House Feel More Like Home

Life & Living

Your primary residence might be the only property you own. But the reality is that buying a house is essentially investing in real estate. At some point, either you or your beneficiaries will profit from its sale, and often updates and remodels will add to its overall value. Over the years, as my wife and I would discuss updates and remodels to our home, some would always say, “make sure you think about the ROI,” which stands for “return on investment” for those unfamiliar. The suggestion always reminded me of my great aunt’s house, where her kitchen featured a fire-engine red enamel sink with white-washed cabinets and red handles. While certainly not my taste, and no doubt would cause anxiety to some HGTV hosts, my aunt absolutely loved her kitchen…

28Feb 2022 by CJ

Our Engagement on Social Media has Come to Define Us

Information & Education, Youth

Years ago, face-to-face conversations allowed individuals to connect and determine what kind of person they were interacting with. Their personality, authenticity, compassion, political views, empathy, beliefs, even pastimes. But today, our engagement on social media has come to define us with the swipe of a finger or scroll of a mouse. Let me give you an example. I recently saw a post from a former co-worker on LinkedIn, which inappropriately mocked President Biden while praising other politicians' racist and undisciplined remarks from the likes of Marjorie Taylor Greene and Lauren Boebert. While I didn't spend a great deal of time with this former co-worker, he was usually known to be very quiet, humble, and hard-working, revealing very little about himself or his beliefs, so this post was somewhat surprising to…

22Feb 2022 by CJ

Checking Your Work Says a Lot About Who You Are

Information & Education

In fourth grade, my English teacher Mrs. Dempsey was a stickler for proper grammar. Not a surprise given the fact that by the time she was my teacher, she had already welcomed 30 years of students into her classroom. While yes, she taught me a great deal about grammar and punctuation, her greatest lesson was always checking your work before turning it in. I’m sure I wasn’t the only student who was taught this invaluable lesson by one of the many outstanding teachers throughout the United States (and globally, for that matter). But lately, I’m beginning to wonder if the practice and benefits of checking your work are now unimportant to today’s youth and, sadly, today’s workers. Time and time again, I continue to see adults with high-paying salaries and…

26Jan 2022 by CJ

Mental Health Struggles Do Not Discriminate in Today’s Society

Life & Living

Many of us believe that the subject of one’s mental health is only attributed to those individuals who’ve received a clinical diagnosis from a licensed professional. But the truth is that mental health issues do not discriminate, and struggles are often easily identifiable in so many of us today. According to MentalHealth.gov, “Mental health includes our emotional, psychological, and social well-being. It affects how we think, feel, and act. It also helps determine how we handle stress, relate to others, and make choices.” Over the last few years, we’ve all struggled on some level with how we think, feel, and act – not to mention how we’ve managed stress. A global pandemic has infiltrated the normalcy we all take for granted while pitting neighbor against neighbor in what has become…

10Jan 2022 by CJ

A Lack of Sacrifice, Compassion, is How We Got to Where We Are

Information & Education

In Mitch Albom's book The Five People You Meet in Heaven, he writes, "Sacrifice is a part of life. It's supposed to be. It's not something to regret. It's something to aspire to." A lack of sacrifice can undoubtedly be attributed to the increasing divide in our country when it comes to the pandemic, especially vaccines. Throughout history, our government has imposed rules and mandates in an attempt to make our lives safer, better, longer. A few that come to mind are wearing seatbelts while driving on public roadways, having to endure security checkpoints at airports, banning smoking in public places (even outdoors), and I'm sure you can think of many, many others. At times, all these rules and mandates were met with great public resistance – viewed as inconveniences infringing…