An absolutely gorgeous day arrived here in North Iowa and I dare to wish that we are finally over the cold weather. I was more busy with real estate than expected for a Sunday but glad for it. Still playing catch-up from this past brutally long winter.
I had a delightful experience at my open house where I re-connected with a couple whom I haven’t had a chance to visit with in years. One of their children is now looking for a home to purchase and I hope I’ll be able to find that perfect first home. We spent a great deal of time visiting and enjoyed every moment. Families like these are the real backbone of our communities. They’re hard workers and know the value of a dollar. Nothing was ever given to them and what they have, they appreciate.
Far too often these past years, we find people who seem to sit around waiting for someone to do something for them, and they become quite vocal about it. The lack of accountability seems to add to the problem. I must always be careful not to come right out and blame someone for doing something wrong or not performing a given task in an agreed upon time frame. The foolish answers I get sometimes makes me even more disappointed. Seems many are simply hoping another will do the work, or there will be some sort of divine intervention. It reminds me of the deus ex machina mentality where people wait for an entity to resolve a bad situation. Perhaps people have resigned themselves in believing our government will fix all the problems in our lives. Aren’t we supposed to attempt fixing our problems first before waiting to be saved by government safety nets?
I laughed to myself several days ago when a buyer whom I’ve been working with this past month said, “I’m hoping I can win the lottery so I can buy a really expensive house and get everything I want.” He saw me roll my eyes and said, “I saw you rolling your eyes! It’s a possibility you know!” I simply responded, “We have to work with what’s in the here and now. You can’t wait for possibilities to appear.” Maybe that’s why I see so many low income people buying lottery tickets. They have convinced themselves that they have a greater chance to win than what’s real. The next time I see someone I know buying a lottery ticket who indeed can’t afford it, I’m going to say to myself, “There’s another one who’s high on hopium.”
