Wheeeeeeeeeeeee! #21DBIH
Swimming Upstream
Today I had my first experience at the fish elevator at the Holyoke Dam in Holyoke, MA.
I have lived in Western MA my whole life and somehow missed out on this curiosity until today.
At the Hadley Falls in Holyoke Ma the annual migration of anadromous fish is no small affair. A visit to the website explains the technical aspects.
I stood watching the fish through the observation windows with my daughters and I listened to my guide and date explain to us that these fish are swimming up the river to mate and then die. This brutal trip takes them up the rocky Connecticut River where they cease to eat. Eventually they make it to Holyoke, where the dam constructed in 1849 prevented them from migrating. The once plentiful shad and salmon of the river valley were extinct to this region until the first fish lift was built at the Holyoke Dam in 1955.
After watching the complicated process that ushers the fish into the elevator and seeing them deposited into the tank, we made our way to the viewing windows. There we were met with busy scene encompassing hundreds of shad, one salmon, many lampreys and some tiger striped bass. The shad, in particular, were looking worse for the wear on their journey.
Several seemed bitten, one had almost lost an eye and another had a fish hook hanging from a side gill.
I can’t relate to their ultimate and undeniable goal of mating, but I have swam upstream. I did it for a long time and I think I have a few scars from the hooks and bites along the way.
I am unsure about the nature of these fish or what drives them upstream to fullfil their destiny. But I did get a glimmer about myself during my observations today: I swam upstream HARD for years. I thought I was doing what I was supposed to do. I made promises and set goals and was determined that I would do things RIGHT.
Well, that didn’t work out much better for me than it does your average salmon (except of course I don’t have to expire), but it did teach me a lot.
As I stood next to this great man watching our children meet for the first time it occurred to me that life doesn’t have to be a constant struggle with unattainable goals at the brink. Life can be spontaneous, sweet and easy:if you let it.
You can swim upstream….I am going to follow the course downstream and guide it the best I can while I let life ebb and flow around me in a beautiful froth.
So, thank you Morriss for sharing today with me…you teach me something new all the time, even when you don’t realize that is what you did.
Balance in Your Life
I was on the phone with my best friend today and she mentioned that she thought i did a great job maintaining balance in my life. It is funny she should mention that, because I think of this often and am not entirely sure I agree with her.
Being a REALTOR has two faces: 1-you are in control of your own schedule and 2- you are in control of your own schedule.
I know, you are now looking at this thinking I have finally totally lost it an am repeating myself. No, I meant that.
See, the ability to be in charge of your own schedule can sometimes create a total nightmare of overbooked, stretched thin, burning candle at both end-ness. People want to see houses, list their homes, they want you NOW and who are you to put them off?
Well, I am here to tell you that sometimes you must.
YUP. Say no.
No, I cannot show that house a half hour before my daughter’s dance recital. No, I will not postpone my date to do your market analysis. No, I cannot accomodate your last minute and ridiculous requests. No.
In addition to my real estate career I am a mom to 2 delightful girls, friend to many, sister/daughter, girlfriend to one lucky lad and so many other facets of my life. I love my work, but I cannot allow the other parts of my life to suffer because of my work.
It isn’t easy, but it is important to keep working on finding the right balance in life so that everything that needs your attention gets your attention and there is still time left over for some things that you WANT to do.
Since implementing the word no into my scheduling vocabulary I have been met with almost total success. People work with me most of the time. Those that won’t, well we probably shouldn’t be working together anyways.
Angels and Demons
Last year I decided to work as a home retention consultant. This was one of the most difficult things I had ever taken on because I was going to have to show up unannounced and knock on the doors of people who were in pre-foreclosure and in danger of losing their home.
Not the most comfortable feeling, but since I had just been through the process I knew that I could help people if I got over my fear of knocking on doors.
Day one arrives and I pull up to the first house. I steel myself with reassurances that I have a service and a will to help. The nerves don’t subside, but I find the strength to knock on the door.
The woman that comes to the door is a beautiful, petite latina and is obviously not expecting me. She meets me on the porch and as I explain to her why I am there and what I hope to help with-she starts crying. The story that I hear includes a cheating husband she is kicking out, an attempt to finish her college degree, a tenant that doesn’t pay rent and all of this is her secret.
We make an appointment to fill out the loss mitigation paperwork and she reaches out to hug me. I have to paraphrase, but she said something like: “I will always remember this day and the way you looked when you showed up to help. You are my angel.”
Inflated and excited by the success of my first stop, I head to my next home.
This time I am met by a short middle aged man with lots of tattoos and a military buzz cut. I begin by explaining that I have an already designated loan modification that will reduce his principle, reduce his rate, restart the loan with no foreclosure and knock $600 a month off the payments. He responds with a tirade and the words “shotgun, burn the *&#()0($#’ing house down and they will have to get me first”.
He tells me to leave and I say that I am sorry I couldn’t help. I head back to the car to program the GPS and I see him heading towards my car. NOW I am nervous as can be. I roll down the window a half inch and let him talk.
He apologizes: I am collateral damage after he has spent countless hours on the phone trying to resolve his issues. He says, “I am sure I am the last person you would want to help after my outburst, but if you would accept my apology and come in, I sure would appreciate that.”
An hour, a pile of paperwork and a phone call later and his loan modification was in process and his house saved.
Every door is answered by a new story, but they are all so real and they all need help. These are two of the families that will be able to stay in their home because of the home retention program… it is a wonderful feeling to be part of that mission.
I Love First Time HomeBuyers!
In my over 20 year career the one client that has always been a favorite is the first time homebuyer.
What isn’t to love about the flush of excitement as a young adult sheds the protection of parents, landlords or school and makes the decision to strike out on their own? Their energy is contagious and they are open to education and guidance.
These fledgling buyers almost always do everything on time and as you requested because they don’t have the bad habits of more “experienced” buyers.
I am working with a series of first time homebuyers lately, most of them are young women (neat!) and have been caught up in their excitment. There were issues with the last two closings, but these ladies kept their cool, took my (very good) advice and hung in there while things were sorted out.
Getting to the closing with these buyers has been so much fun….seeing them take the keys to their new home is a gift to my spirit.
What is even better is the recognition and thanks that they freely offer to me. Both young ladies are having me to their new home after they settle in and both stay in touch with me regularly. One of them texted me when she hung the “Welcome Home” picture I gave her and today I got a thank you note in the mail from another.
What could be a better feeling than opening up a note like this?:
