It’s worth a shot in the dark

If your tenant went dark, you'd still have so much value in the property that you'd profit.

The paneling was wood, the trim was brown, the rug was brown, the baseboard heaters were brown. 18 Windows in the unit and yoy wouldnt know it, so dark!

Will your ideal place on the scale above mover over time or stay where you want to be todayAs an example - Yes, Passive, Stay the same = set goal to identify and vet best sponsor for larger syndicated dealsOr Yes, Passive and migrate Active = find a local flipper or a BRRRR investor, loan them on an acquisition/rehab and shadow them on the process so you can start learning on the BRRRR (you will need to research lending, etc.)

I try to travel by day in iffy areas (although walking through downtown Seattle in the winter it can still be dark on the way to the office, glad I don't work there anymore).

:The greatest happiness is to vanquish your enemies, to chase them before you, to rob them of their wealth, to see those dear to them bathed in tears, to clasp to your bosom their wives and daughters.Genghis KhanSo no, no happiness in real estate.So dark.......

You're not a dummy, just being seduced by the dark side of buying depreciating luxuries! 

Don’t be their shadow, be your own light.

Honestly, shadowing people and actually talking to investors about their own deals is the best thing for you to do.

Find a local investor you can shadow who knows how to do deals as short sales.It's clear from your post you are not well versed on short sales at all.Good Luck