February 2026

“One must still have chaos in oneself to be able to give birth to a dancing star.” – Friedrich Nietzsche

There are no two ways about it, that loss from last month hurt and has set me back quite a bit. And the way things are looking, there are more losses on the way.

But, hey, it happened. I’ve thought long and hard on why it went down like that, and I’m moving on while focusing on all the good things that I do have.

Life is good right now so there’s no need to let silly mistakes distract me from that. Just because there’s a drought, doesn’t mean it’s not my season.

We’re just now coming out of winter, which can be a downright depressing time for people, especially if one resists the natural flow of the seasons as it pertains to their own inner life. It’s dark. It’s cold. Things are dying off and falling away and still everything is as it should be.

I sell plants and customers have been insane with fervor now that spring is here. Nature doesn’t rush, and you can’t have the reward of spring without the endurance of winter. The tricky part is learning how to flow with the changes and appreciate all seasons equally.

The Runaround

“It’s a surefire way to speed things up, when all it does is slow me down. And shake me and my confidence about a great many things” – Blues Traveler

As you’ll see, because of my heavy losses, I haven’t been able to trade as much recently. I sold 4 Cash Secured Puts on SOFI and HOOD, and I was assigned on all of them. Meaning, I had to buy 400 shares of stock at a price way above their current market value, while keeping the $854 in premium I received for selling those contracts.

With the current share price so far below what I paid for them, I’m having to wait for them to recover before selling Covered Calls as the premium isn’t really worth it right now. This can sometimes take a month or longer, but that’s without an unnecessary war going on, the uncovering of a pedophile ring that appears to heavily involve the sitting president, and America seemingly going through its own winter at the moment with mass layoffs, unemployment, credit card debt hitting all time highs, inflation, the weakening dollar, and other signs that history has warned us about.

Anyways, back in November I said, “Now, you have to be able to stomach the downturn and have the patience to let the price rise back up before selling Covered Calls on the shares you now own. When you’re assigned on a Cash Secured Put, this ultimately means that something has happened and the stock price has dropped. More often than not, this means you have to buy shares for a price higher than they’re currently trading. This won’t feel great.” Well, here we are, and it doesn’t feel great.

Here’s the breakdown of where I’m at right now after being assigned all these dang shares.

I own 200 shares of HOOD at an average price of around $115. It’s currently trading around $80.

Total Investment (Cost): $23,000
Current Total Value: $16,000
Total Unrealized Loss: $7,000

I own 700 shares of SOFI with an average price of $24.50 while it’s currently trading around $17.

Total Investment (Cost): $17,029
Current Total Value: $12,280
Total Unrealized Loss: $4,748

Please remember this is only showing how much my stocks have lost in value at this moment. I would have to sell the shares for that to be a realized loss. I just own a lot of stuff that’s not worth a lot right now, is all.

These trading mistakes were caused by my attempt to take the express lane, but now I’m left broke down on the side of the road for a minute. And my AAA has expired.

The other day, my sister and I were talking about how to increase her pace. I mansplained that, to go faster and further, you gotta focus on running slower, which seems counter-intuitive.

I don’t need to get into the science of all that, but this seems to be another one of those universal laws. Most things in life benefit from slowing down, taking your time, and enjoying the journey. To be fully present, aware of what you are currently doing in that moment, and without judgment of the outcome. Because the outcome isn’t the point. Obviously, not an easy task, but something worth aiming for.

He who stands on tiptoe
doesn’t stand firm.
He who rushes ahead
doesn’t go far.
He who tries to shine
dims his own light.
He who defines himself
can’t know who he really is.
_{Tao Te Ching – Verse 24}

Monthly Roundup

In February I made $854.

I sold 4 Cash Secured Puts and was assigned on all of them. I got to keep the premium paid to me for selling the contracts, but was forced to buy shares at a price higher than the market price.

Here are the trades.

There are only a few things in life that you can successfully rush through. In my experience, trading ain’t one of ’em. In fact, bad things can happen if you try. I’ve been hearing from a lot of traders who are having a very rough go at it right now. Some that I respect, who have been trading much longer than I have, have even blown up their accounts during all this volatility. I’m blessed to have made it out alive, with lessons learned, to fight another day in the markets.

“Bombardier, this is the pilot speaking,
I’ve got some news for you.
It seems my ship still stands no matter what you drop
And there ain’t a whole lot that you can do.
Oh, sure the banner may be torn and the wind’s gotten colder.
Perhaps I’ve grown a little cynical.
But I know no matter what the waitress brings
I shall drink it and always be full”

Toodles,
Chris

_{If you’d like to give trading on Robinhood a try, you can click my referral link HERE and we’ll both get some free stock.}

_{This is not financial advice. Unless you’re into losing money.}