There once was a time not long ago when interest rates were 2 ? %. There once was a time not long ago when 250 homes for sale in Teaneck, Bergenfield and New Milford was quite the norm. There once was a time very, very long ago, in fact it’s been so long I can’t even remember, when real estate commissions were 6% in our area. There was a time when kosher steak was $6.99 a pound and there was only one place in Teaneck to buy it.

There was a time when a three bedroom starter home in Teaneck was affordable. There was a time when we boasted and snubbed our nose at Europe and said here in America we don’t need our synagogues to be protected by law enforcement. There was a time when it snowed in Teaneck and remained white outside for the entire winter.

Do we really long for these things to come again and for the course of life to somehow reverse itself?

I’m happy eating chicken and don’t mind the warmer winters. Many of my friends are thrilled by how much their homes are worth, so this isn’t all bad, right?

Perhaps the lesson of v’nahafoch hu is not that what once was will be again, but rather that the expectation that things will always remain the same is false. We must have faith that events will move in the right direction and each of us must find our mission in helping us get there.

Nechama Polak is the broker of record and owner of V&N Group LLC, located at 1401 Palisade Avenue in Teaneck. Send your thoughts and comments to [email protected] or call 201 826 8809.