Loosing weight and Real Estate in 2012

Two things I haven't written about in a long time...

Real Estate - Well what can I say. Tons of people ask me about real estate. 2011 has been rough on many accounts. Our role as Realtors is blurry and probably needs a tune up. We Realtors have been bred that we will do whatever it takes to get a deal done. But this philosophy can cause insanity - it can make you feel like you can never do enough or unless you sacrifice your own personal time/boundaries, you aren't doing a good enough job. I think it's like all sales....it's been tough to say "no", it's been tough to keep healthy boundaries and it's been tough to realize what the Realtor can do and what she can't. So in 2012, I will make decisions that are good for my business and for my family. I will chose clients that will bring me joy because they are excited and happy about the prospect of their future. I became a Realtor because I loved the house hunt. Sometimes I bet I enjoy it more than even the buyer. But this economy has created a mindset in buyers that has stripped some of the joy...where the house is just a commodity and not a home, the most important purchase of their lives. And its' not the most important purchase because of the money involved although that's certainly part of it but it's the most important because your home is the heartbeat of your life. My home gives so more than shelter...it gives me and my family a fabulous life. I value HOME. I value the soul of a home. When I am keying into a house with a young family, I am so excited for them - that THIS might be it - this might be the home you bring your babies home. It's tough for me when houses are seen as a dime a dozen. So....I learn, like we do with all professions, what makes me happy and how to work differently within the framework of our current economy. For me, the joy is #1. So this year, I will work for joy....I will understand that I can still be a good Realtor without selling my sanity and soul - two things I value very much!!!!

Loosing weight - Okay. Well for the first time in over a decade, I would say that I'm "in the zone" where I have been able to string together months of focus without being a lunatic. So of course, I ate salty, sugary and fattening food all through the Holidays and Disney World but what's different is in the past, I would have just said "screw it" and gone overboard. I would have indulged to ridiculous ends (like eating a tray of fudge) and I wouldn't be able to wake up the next day and say "that was okay, get back to focus". But for some insane reason, I finally can. It all started with the Grapefruit diet. Do I exercise? Of course not. That is still something that is SUCH a hurdle to me. Such an annoyance. I am still pissed that the world expects this vessel to exercise. GGGEEEESHHHH......can't a girl just give up sugar. But nooooo- not good enough. SO, in 2012 you may see me walking more....with my head phones and I will be singing bc if I'm going to walk, than at least I'm going to have to sing!

2011

My life runs at a pace that is common to today's mom - warp speed. Remember when we were kids and Christmas vacation lasted forever? By the time you got back to school, a lifetime happened. You could go to back a whole new person. Time was methodical and our minds were devoted to a few things. I wonder if my kids think their summer break and Christmas break last so so long. I can remember long summer days in a row where the world was quiet and hot and consisted of reading, dinners, bike rides. As September approached, I knew I could start 5th grade a whole new person because I hadn't really seen friends outside my neighborhood in 3 months. I remember climbing trees, riding my bike to the library....the heat, the sprinklers, the smell of my mom's supper telling me it was time to come in. Time was perfect.

Now I sit here trying to look back at 1 full year of my life. Nearly impossible. I can't really remember last January 1. I can't remember what books I've read or Peter's voice last year. So in looking back, I try to think of the highlights.....travel, the kids being happy, work accomplishments, Rob and I still loving being married to each other.... I also think of the challenges.....work, parenting difficulties, Peter starting school. All in all, I live an incredibly blessed life. So it's tough to ask for anything from this world because I have so much. But if I could ask for a simpler life, I would. The fantasy of less technology, less noise, less pressure, less food options, less entertainment options.......less.........intrigues and comforts me.

I have learned a lot in 2011 -

I learned to play more to which I can credit The Happiness Project

I learned, the hard way, that I need to have better work boundaries.

I learned that it's hard for me to feel like I disappointed people.

I learned that I can loose weight at 43.

What did I do in 2011?

I had lots of fun travel - camping, 2 trips to Door County, Disney, a weekend with friends in Indy, a winter and a summer trip to our good friends in WI.

I drank more in one year than I had in a full decade - thank you McGoons!

I helped plan a huge fundraiser.

I got to sell real estate in my favorite hood - Lincoln Park.

What will I miss from 2011?

I will miss that for part of 2011, my baby was still in preschool.

I already miss when my girls were at the same school.

I will miss that my kids were 11 and 10 and 5.

I will miss this time - even if it's at warp speed.