A reflection on returning to financial literacy, preparing to teach again, and discovering how familiar books can take on new meaning as we change.

October 2, 2026

I’ve come to a point where I’m going to switch gears.

For a while, much of my reading has focused on sociology—particularly reentry, reintegration, crime, and the challenges people face when returning home. That work has been important to me, and I’m certainly not finished with it. But right now, I’m shifting some of my attention back toward financial literacy.

Part of that shift has to do with some news I’ve been waiting a long time to hear.

I recently had a brief meeting with Andy, the new person taking the lead for the ACE program here. I was told that, if everything goes as planned, classes should resume on October 20.

I’m cautiously optimistic.

A Year of Waiting

What makes this news significant is how long I’ve been waiting.

It was last October when I first spoke with the person who was leading the program at the time. He told me he was excited about my financial-literacy course and thought it would be a hit. At the time, I was told to check back in December because they would be preparing for the next round of courses.

December became January.

Then February.

Then April.

Then June.

And now we’re in October—a full year after that original conversation.

So when I say I’m cautiously optimistic, there’s a reason for the “cautiously” part.

Still, I’m hopeful that this time the class will actually happen.

Returning to The Cashflow Quadrant

Coincidentally, I’ve also shifted my reading back toward financial literacy.

I’m currently reading Robert Kiyosaki’s The Cashflow Quadrant. It’s not what I would call a practical how-to book. It doesn’t tell you exactly which business to start or which investments to make. Instead, much of the book is about principles, perspective, and mindset.

After spending so much time reading about sociology and reentry, I realized that I missed this kind of material.

There’s an energy I get from thinking about business, investing, financial independence, and building something for the future.

I’m almost certain I’ve read The Cashflow Quadrant before. What’s surprising is that I’m interpreting some of its ideas differently this time.

Maybe that’s because I’m different this time.

I’ve spent more time thinking seriously about the real estate company I want to build after my release. I’ve studied reentry, housing, business, financial literacy, and the responsibilities that can come with ownership. So I’m not reading these ideas from the same perspective I had years ago.

That’s one of the interesting things about rereading a book: the words may be the same, but the reader isn’t.

Reading With a Notebook This Time

When I started The Cashflow Quadrant, I told myself I was just going to breeze through it. Because I believed I had already read it, I didn’t plan on taking detailed notes or writing a formal book report.

That didn’t last long.

I found myself sitting with a notebook while I read, writing down concepts that I know could serve me well when I begin building my business after release.

So now I’m reconsidering the book report.

More importantly, taking notes is helping me refresh my financial knowledge as I prepare to teach my next class. Teaching financial literacy requires more than remembering information. If I’m going to explain these ideas to other people, I need to understand them well enough to make them useful.

In that sense, rereading isn’t going backward.

It’s preparation.

Something Else I’ve Been Reading

I’m also rereading The Secret.

It’s a very different kind of book. Its central idea is the Law of Attraction—the belief that our dominant thoughts can help shape our reality.

I understand that some people will disagree with that idea, and I don’t believe positive thinking by itself magically changes circumstances. There are things in life that require action, planning, discipline, opportunity, and sometimes simply enduring circumstances we cannot immediately change.

But there is something about the underlying principle that makes sense to me: what I repeatedly focus on influences how I see my circumstances and how I respond to them.

I’ve been feeling down lately, and I’ve been looking for something to help lift my spirits.

Right now, this book is doing that.

Whether someone believes in the Law of Attraction literally or not, I know what I’m getting from the book: a reminder to be deliberate about where I place my attention.

My current circumstances are real. So are the delays, disappointments, and uncertainty.

But those things don’t have to be the only things I think about.

Changing Gears Doesn’t Mean Changing Direction

This shift back toward financial literacy doesn’t mean I’m abandoning my work on reentry or sociology.

If anything, I’m beginning to see how these subjects connect.

Reentry has taught me about barriers people face when they return home. Sociology has helped me think about systems, communities, housing, and opportunity. Financial literacy gives me another piece of the puzzle: how people build stability, make better financial decisions, and eventually create ownership.

And real estate sits somewhere in the middle of all of it.

So maybe I’m not really changing direction.

I’m adding another lane to the same road.

For now, I’m going to keep reading, keep taking notes, keep preparing for the class, and remain cautiously optimistic about October 20.

After waiting a year, I know better than to count on something before it happens.

But I also know better than to stop preparing for it.

Xavier Lee of Elkton, MD 

“Mizz Debbie’s Boy”