Thank goodness the arctic vortex has finally ended and we’re all in hopes to never see such horribly cold temperatures in our area ever again. I was terribly saddened when hearing about all the deaths that occurred due to that cold. My nerves were on edge the entire time because of my fears something terrible would happen with clients, customers, homes, and buildings. I couldn’t help but feel as though we’d entered a heat wave when it got up to 18 degrees today. This coming weekend is going to be really interesting with the predicted above freezing temperatures.
I’m in great hopes the public open house I’ll be hosting tomorrow at 341 S. Carolina will bring a good crowd of lookers out. This would be a perfect time for its buyers because when closing arrives, we’ll be on the threshold of Spring which will give the home’s new owners all the more opportunity to enjoy its gorgeous back yard. If you know anyone who’s looking for a rock-solid home in a great neighborhood, please encourage them to come take a look tomorrow.
Since this past week’s weather was so nasty, I was forced to take a half day off work to get some pressing things done while the sun was shining. Thank goodness I was able to get everything accomplished before darkness arrived. There are going to be several very thankful people come tomorrow morning. It’s always good to step out of our routines and help someone in need–especially when they’re appreciative of whatever one freely does for them. There are more older people living in North Iowa who have limited resources and no real families to count on than most can imagine. It makes me sad to see how some are forced to live on spartan incomes which don’t keep up with the costs of goods and services. Once again, I insist we must do as much as we can for others in need, because if we don’t, we will have severed the ties that keep our community bound together.
There’s no question I’ll be feeling a few aches and pains come tomorrow morning because I think my muscles and back got a good workout and thankful I didn’t over-do it while hauling, pulling, and lifting. It was a good thing I had a Whopper for lunch before I drove to my little afternoon job because I was certainly burning the carbs.
When visiting with that person in need, he mentioned that he wanted to repaint the interior of his living quarters which hadn’t been painted in about 15 years, but never seemed to get ahead enough to afford its cost. When looking at his walls and ceilings, it was clear they were in need of a fresh coat. I asked if he had all the brushes and rollers he needed, and it sounded like he had, so after I finished helping him and then readying myself to head back to my office, I said, “Since you didn’t ask, I’m going to pay for your wall and ceiling paint, so just find a paint color you like, drop it off at my office, and I’ll go get it.” He continued to refuse my offer until I said, “If I didn’t want to do it, I wouldn’t have offered.” Hopefully he’ll bring me those paint chips so he can get busy with his freshening up.
The two toxic files I’ve been working on, now seem be moving in the right direction which when closed, with be a burden off more backs than just mine. One of my colleagues mentioned yesterday, “How do you endure such headaches when there’s so little reward?” I smiled while quietly answering, “It really is Ok, so don’t be worrying about me”.
One of my well-knowns called today to talk about a non-blood relative who’s one of the most selfish people she knows and began talking about how much of a hoarder he’s been his entire life to the point where his “precious stuff” means more to him than those few people he has in his life. Since she’s spoken of him in the past, I asked, “Wasn’t his father also a hoarder?” “Yes!” she answered, “And I think his hoarding son is even worse than he ever was.” Sounds a bit like morphic resonance doesn’t it?
I reminded her that nearly every time I encounter someone who’s that bent on hoarding money and possessions, I consider them having child-like minds that’ve never fully developed. Many of them lack basic social skills to where they can’t even maintain relationships because they’re so self-centered in their world of accumulations. She did agree and will likely leave him to his own path because with people who’re in their late sixties, the likelihood of any real and good change in their personalities would be at best only superficial. I had to laugh when saying, “If I were you, I’d leave him enjoying his hoarder’s paradise because not so far in the future he’ll be taking his dirt nap, and it’ll all come to an end when the dumpsters are rolled off and all his neighbors will be waiting their turn to at diving.”
Tonight’s one-liner is: Hoarding old men are dangerous because it doesn’t matter to them what’s going to happen to our world.
