I have been busy. That's a good thing. I showed homes last weekend. I listed a home on Thursday. I have also previewed several homes this past week. I am meeting with some potential new clients this coming week. They have a home in Kenmore on 2 acres. I have been working to determine the development value of their property versus the value to a homeowner. My new listing already has an offer. I will be presenting it later this afternoon.
My job list and my goal list for the year, the month, the week, and the day, almost always have more things than I can accomplish. Sometimes that frustrates me.
While I haven't had time to do any writing anything this week, I am very grateful for my new life. I remind myself how fortunate I am to be physically, mentally, and emotionally, capable of being busy. It is way to easy to take that for granted. I remind myself how fortunate I am to be busy as a real estate agent in this market, and how fortunate I am to be busy in so many other parts of my life.
I am busy. I'm not getting everything accomplished I would like to. How lucky could I be?
It’s the weekend. Please be good. Drive you car carefully. Ride with people who drive carefully. Treat yourself with respect. Spend time with people who treat you with respect. Treat other people with respect. Talk nice to yourself; you deserve it. I look forward to hearing from you or seeing you. Keep yourself whole physically and emotionally.
P
Saturday, January 16, 2010
Friday, January 8, 2010
Going to the Dentist
There are a lot of reasons to like your dentist. I don’t know, maybe you personally can’t think of a single one. Heck, maybe you hate going to the dentist. Maybe you could easily make a list of 50 things you hate about the dentist. Not me. Nope. I like going to the dentist.
My 6 month appointment to get my teeth cleaned was this week. Karen, the hygienist, is good at what she does and she is very funny. That’s enough of a reason to like going to the dentist.
I’ll admit my liking going to the dentist is certainly colored by only having had two fillings and one root canal in my whole life. One of the fillings also had to be replaced. Since most of this work was so long ago I have forgotten having my mouth clamped open, the pain, the sound of the drill, the smell of smoking teeth from the drill, and the whole side of my face slipping off my skull when I was driving home, you know, stuff like that. Fifteen years ago when I got a filling the dentist I had then asked me if I could feel any pain from the drill. I said, “Yes.” He said, “That’s not an appropriate response.” Seriously, that’s what he said. He waited a bit and started again. He asked me again if I could feel any pain and again, I said yes. He told me that wasn’t an appropriate response so I asked why he bothered to ask. I suggested that he get a card with three answers on it like 1. Yes, 2. No, and 3. I’m really not sure. I suggested that he could just point to the answer he wanted from me when he asked a question and I would just agree. You know, it would save us both time and it would save him the frustration and aggravation of having a patient who didn’t know how to answer simple questions. That was my old dentist.
These days I like going to the dentist.
When I arrive at the office I am greeted by Jill, the office manager. (She is a real estate client of mine also.) She has a winning smile and is always friendly. See, going to the dentist is nice. This week when I arrived Jill was eating Christmas cookies. I really thought my personal quest to gain 6 or 8 pounds through serious “Christmas cookie plumping” was over for this year. She offered me some but I was strong. I reminded her that I was there to get my teeth cleaned and that Karen would have a lot of extra work if she had to use those darn “pickers and diggers” she has to get cookie gunk out of my teeth. Jill had another cookie and said Karen needed to work hard and it would be okay if I had one. I was strong; I said, “No thanks.” Pretty impressive, don’t you think? Well, almost “No thanks.” It was more like, “No thanks. For Now.” I asked Jill if I would have two cookies when I came out.
I enjoy Karen, the hygienist, and certainly enjoy Dr. Fjeran, the dentist. Some years ago, Greg (Dr. Fjeran) replaced a filling of mine. He didn’t even need to give me the response card. His work is very competent and I appreciate his caring and concerned demeanor. This week, Karen did x-rays, along with cleaning my teeth and then Greg did an exam. Everyone in the office is great so going to the dentist is just fine with me.
Oh, and when I was leaving, Jill gave me a bag of Christmas cookies. See, how could I not like going to the dentist? I get cookies!
Those cookies have made me smile beyond the brief enjoyment they gave my mouth. As I think about them it reminds me to take pleasure in simple things.
It’s the weekend. Please be good. Drive you car carefully. Ride with people who drive carefully. Treat yourself with respect. Spend time with people who treat you with respect. Treat other people with respect. Talk nice to yourself; you deserve it. I look forward to hearing from you or seeing you. Keep yourself whole physically and emotionally.
P
PS I can’t take a picture of the whole bag because I ate most of them already. I’m thinking about going in today and asking for a refill.
PPS My dentist is better than your dentist. Just sayin’…
My 6 month appointment to get my teeth cleaned was this week. Karen, the hygienist, is good at what she does and she is very funny. That’s enough of a reason to like going to the dentist.
I’ll admit my liking going to the dentist is certainly colored by only having had two fillings and one root canal in my whole life. One of the fillings also had to be replaced. Since most of this work was so long ago I have forgotten having my mouth clamped open, the pain, the sound of the drill, the smell of smoking teeth from the drill, and the whole side of my face slipping off my skull when I was driving home, you know, stuff like that. Fifteen years ago when I got a filling the dentist I had then asked me if I could feel any pain from the drill. I said, “Yes.” He said, “That’s not an appropriate response.” Seriously, that’s what he said. He waited a bit and started again. He asked me again if I could feel any pain and again, I said yes. He told me that wasn’t an appropriate response so I asked why he bothered to ask. I suggested that he get a card with three answers on it like 1. Yes, 2. No, and 3. I’m really not sure. I suggested that he could just point to the answer he wanted from me when he asked a question and I would just agree. You know, it would save us both time and it would save him the frustration and aggravation of having a patient who didn’t know how to answer simple questions. That was my old dentist.
These days I like going to the dentist.
When I arrive at the office I am greeted by Jill, the office manager. (She is a real estate client of mine also.) She has a winning smile and is always friendly. See, going to the dentist is nice. This week when I arrived Jill was eating Christmas cookies. I really thought my personal quest to gain 6 or 8 pounds through serious “Christmas cookie plumping” was over for this year. She offered me some but I was strong. I reminded her that I was there to get my teeth cleaned and that Karen would have a lot of extra work if she had to use those darn “pickers and diggers” she has to get cookie gunk out of my teeth. Jill had another cookie and said Karen needed to work hard and it would be okay if I had one. I was strong; I said, “No thanks.” Pretty impressive, don’t you think? Well, almost “No thanks.” It was more like, “No thanks. For Now.” I asked Jill if I would have two cookies when I came out.
I enjoy Karen, the hygienist, and certainly enjoy Dr. Fjeran, the dentist. Some years ago, Greg (Dr. Fjeran) replaced a filling of mine. He didn’t even need to give me the response card. His work is very competent and I appreciate his caring and concerned demeanor. This week, Karen did x-rays, along with cleaning my teeth and then Greg did an exam. Everyone in the office is great so going to the dentist is just fine with me.
Oh, and when I was leaving, Jill gave me a bag of Christmas cookies. See, how could I not like going to the dentist? I get cookies!
Those cookies have made me smile beyond the brief enjoyment they gave my mouth. As I think about them it reminds me to take pleasure in simple things.
It’s the weekend. Please be good. Drive you car carefully. Ride with people who drive carefully. Treat yourself with respect. Spend time with people who treat you with respect. Treat other people with respect. Talk nice to yourself; you deserve it. I look forward to hearing from you or seeing you. Keep yourself whole physically and emotionally.
P
PS I can’t take a picture of the whole bag because I ate most of them already. I’m thinking about going in today and asking for a refill.
PPS My dentist is better than your dentist. Just sayin’…
Friday, January 1, 2010
New Year's Resolutions
Its New Year's Day. I am a very goal oriented person. I suppose I should have some meaningful, life altering resolutions that I write down.
I don't.
At this moment I have my daily job list complete. I have even checked off a few things already. Well, my list is complete for now, that is until I think of, or more appropriately, remember, more things I need to do today. Pretty soon the list will get too long, if it isn't already, and I'll never get it finished in one day. Today happens to be January 1, 2010. My job list is my job list. It doesn't matter to me that today is New Year's. My job list for today reads:
email Gary re: letter
call George about fly shop rod order
finish "Few Words" blog post for today
message OC
check the wiper fluid in vehicles
get new wiper fluid
return/replace Katy's trekking poles
get new Sno-Park pass
outside Christmas lights down
start putting Christmas away inside the house
tree away
villages away
all the other stuff away
enter new real estate client testamonial letter (on my web page)
straighten up desk
tie flies
read
Okay, that's it for now. Again, I'm very goal oriented and have been for decades. I have many goals for the months ahead in several areas of my life. I didn't set those goals today and I don't think of them as being just for the calendar year 2010. I have real estate goals, personal goals, fishing goals, travel goals, writing goals, learning goals, and others. They are not resolutions though. They are things I am working on or am going to be working on.
Alas, New Year's Day Resolutions don't work so well for me. How could they? I already have too many things just on today's job list. How could I add some life altering goal when I'm already too busy just to get today's simple tasks completed?
I remember reading a quote many years ago by the great American writer, Mark Twain. He said, "New Year's Day… now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual." I think that's funny. I'm not cynical about my goal setting or other people's either. Goal setting is extremely important.
Laughing is important too. I also remember hearing "A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other." I don't know who said it but I think its a bit funny.
So today, New Year's Day 2010, I resolve to get today's job list done. Nope, I take that back. I resolve to try to get SOME of it done. There, that's better. I'll work at it and what I get done is what I get done.
In a way, today, I resolve to be patient with myself and others, particularly when it comes to things that don't get done.
It is the weekend. Please be good. Drive you car carefully. Ride with people who drive carefully. Treat yourself with respect. Spend time with people who treat you with respect. Treat other people with respect. Talk nice to yourself; you deserve it. I look forward to hearing from you or seeing you. Keep yourself whole physically and emotionally.
P
PS--I just added a job to my list for today:
Help finish the Christmas cookies.
Now that's something I will definitely be able to get checked off!
I don't.
At this moment I have my daily job list complete. I have even checked off a few things already. Well, my list is complete for now, that is until I think of, or more appropriately, remember, more things I need to do today. Pretty soon the list will get too long, if it isn't already, and I'll never get it finished in one day. Today happens to be January 1, 2010. My job list is my job list. It doesn't matter to me that today is New Year's. My job list for today reads:
email Gary re: letter
call George about fly shop rod order
finish "Few Words" blog post for today
message OC
check the wiper fluid in vehicles
get new wiper fluid
return/replace Katy's trekking poles
get new Sno-Park pass
outside Christmas lights down
start putting Christmas away inside the house
tree away
villages away
all the other stuff away
enter new real estate client testamonial letter (on my web page)
straighten up desk
tie flies
read
Okay, that's it for now. Again, I'm very goal oriented and have been for decades. I have many goals for the months ahead in several areas of my life. I didn't set those goals today and I don't think of them as being just for the calendar year 2010. I have real estate goals, personal goals, fishing goals, travel goals, writing goals, learning goals, and others. They are not resolutions though. They are things I am working on or am going to be working on.
Alas, New Year's Day Resolutions don't work so well for me. How could they? I already have too many things just on today's job list. How could I add some life altering goal when I'm already too busy just to get today's simple tasks completed?
I remember reading a quote many years ago by the great American writer, Mark Twain. He said, "New Year's Day… now is the accepted time to make your regular annual good resolutions. Next week you can begin paving hell with them as usual." I think that's funny. I'm not cynical about my goal setting or other people's either. Goal setting is extremely important.
Laughing is important too. I also remember hearing "A New Year's resolution is something that goes in one year and out the other." I don't know who said it but I think its a bit funny.
So today, New Year's Day 2010, I resolve to get today's job list done. Nope, I take that back. I resolve to try to get SOME of it done. There, that's better. I'll work at it and what I get done is what I get done.
In a way, today, I resolve to be patient with myself and others, particularly when it comes to things that don't get done.
It is the weekend. Please be good. Drive you car carefully. Ride with people who drive carefully. Treat yourself with respect. Spend time with people who treat you with respect. Treat other people with respect. Talk nice to yourself; you deserve it. I look forward to hearing from you or seeing you. Keep yourself whole physically and emotionally.
P
PS--I just added a job to my list for today:
Help finish the Christmas cookies.
Now that's something I will definitely be able to get checked off!
Friday, December 25, 2009
Merry Christmas
Merry Christmas. I hope that some of the peace and joy of the season is in your life.
Drive your car carefully. Ride with people who drive carefully. Treat yourself with respect. Spend time with people who treat you with respect. Treat other people with respect. Talk nice to yourself. You deserve it. I look forward to hearing from you or seeing you. Keep yourself whole physically and emotionally.
Drive your car carefully. Ride with people who drive carefully. Treat yourself with respect. Spend time with people who treat you with respect. Treat other people with respect. Talk nice to yourself. You deserve it. I look forward to hearing from you or seeing you. Keep yourself whole physically and emotionally.
Friday, December 18, 2009
The Winter Solstice
Already it has been good and cold this winter. We have even had snow. People were walking on a lake a few miles from our home. It is 38 degrees at my house right now. That seems warm compared to 11 degrees just days ago. Winter is upon us in many ways.
But wait. What season is this? Today, December 18, 2009, right now, what season is this? It feels like winter, it looks like winter, it must be winter. Hmmm… It’s still the fall.
The Winter Solstice comes this year on Monday, December 21. Here in Washington State, it will occur at 9:47 AM. Our earth rotates on an axis. The Winter Solstice is the time when because of the axial tilt of the earth we are the farthest away from the sun thereby receiving the least direct sunlight. It is also the day when we have the fewest hours of sunlight and the most hours of darkness. For me personally, the long hours of darkness have always bothered me more than extended periods of rain.
It is cold and wet, and yet it is still the fall. The days are short and the nights are long. The coldest and harshest weather is still ahead of us. Winter will “officially” begin here soon.
Even though we are beginning our nastiest season of weather the days will slowly begin getting longer again. I appreciate the irony or paradox of winter beginning as the days begin getting longer. Maybe those aren’t the right words; maybe it’s the symbolism I appreciate. As I have aged the cold weather bothers me more and more. I like winter less and less. It doesn’t feel like it today and it won’t feel like it on the many cold days ahead but the Winter Solstice signals the beginning of change. Even as we prepare for the worst weather of the year change will begin slowly this Monday. Longer, warmer days will come again.
In times of reflection, as always, I pray for the good health, overall well being, and safety of my family and friends. I work to trust that during the coming winter, change is already beginning. On Monday the days will begin getting longer again. The light will return.
It is Friday. The weekend is near. Drive your cars carefully. Ride with people who drive carefully. Treat yourself with respect. Spend time with people who treat you with respect. Treat other people with respect. Talk nice to yourself; you deserve it. I look forward to seeing you or hearing from you. Keep yourself whole physically and emotionally.
CYLP!
P
But wait. What season is this? Today, December 18, 2009, right now, what season is this? It feels like winter, it looks like winter, it must be winter. Hmmm… It’s still the fall.
The Winter Solstice comes this year on Monday, December 21. Here in Washington State, it will occur at 9:47 AM. Our earth rotates on an axis. The Winter Solstice is the time when because of the axial tilt of the earth we are the farthest away from the sun thereby receiving the least direct sunlight. It is also the day when we have the fewest hours of sunlight and the most hours of darkness. For me personally, the long hours of darkness have always bothered me more than extended periods of rain.
It is cold and wet, and yet it is still the fall. The days are short and the nights are long. The coldest and harshest weather is still ahead of us. Winter will “officially” begin here soon.
Even though we are beginning our nastiest season of weather the days will slowly begin getting longer again. I appreciate the irony or paradox of winter beginning as the days begin getting longer. Maybe those aren’t the right words; maybe it’s the symbolism I appreciate. As I have aged the cold weather bothers me more and more. I like winter less and less. It doesn’t feel like it today and it won’t feel like it on the many cold days ahead but the Winter Solstice signals the beginning of change. Even as we prepare for the worst weather of the year change will begin slowly this Monday. Longer, warmer days will come again.
In times of reflection, as always, I pray for the good health, overall well being, and safety of my family and friends. I work to trust that during the coming winter, change is already beginning. On Monday the days will begin getting longer again. The light will return.
It is Friday. The weekend is near. Drive your cars carefully. Ride with people who drive carefully. Treat yourself with respect. Spend time with people who treat you with respect. Treat other people with respect. Talk nice to yourself; you deserve it. I look forward to seeing you or hearing from you. Keep yourself whole physically and emotionally.
CYLP!
P
Friday, December 11, 2009
The Holidays--The Good and The Bad
I’m listening to Andy Williams sing Christmas music right now. I put him on because he sings about Christmas, “It’s the most wonderful time of year…” Okay Andy, sometimes it is. And sometimes it isn’t.
The holiday season can be a time for enjoying family. It can be a time of dreading being pulled in two directions by in-laws and even three or four directions by step families.
Expectations of what the holidays are supposed to be like can be met with the disappointment of what they end up being like.
It can be exciting to do so many things and overwhelming to do so many things.
It’s a time to enjoy thoughtfully prepared meals together. We can eat too many helpings and way too many cookies.
It’s a time to experience the pleasure of giving and receiving gifts. That gift giving can cause worry and stress.
Shopping can be fun and the crowds can get overwhelming.
It might even snow a little on Christmas. A white Christmas can be fun. We could be buried in snow like last year. It makes driving difficult and dangerous. The garbage won’t get picked up for a month. There could be massive power outages.
It can be a time of year to be thankful for our jobs. Hating the job you have or not even being employed feels even worse during the holidays.
Work hours can increase this time of year only to be followed by reduced hours after the New Year.
It is a time of year when we experience both satisfaction and guilt.
It is also a time when we can feel gratitude for our blessings and resentment over what we don’t have.
It is a time of joy and a time when sadness can be highlighted.
We can savor our friendships this time of year and feel extra bitter about relationships that have gone bad.
The holidays may help me to realize how happy I am with my life or to see how disappointed I am with my life.
During one holiday season or another I have known virtually all of these experiences; the good and the bad, they are all real.
It is important to remind myself
To take a breath
To relax
To enjoy what is good about the season
To recognize I can only do so many things and be so many places
To work at being patient
To offer forgiveness beyond what I think should have to.
To feel my blessings
To spend more energy on what I can do for others than I do worrying about who does what for me.
To consciously choose to be grateful several times a day. And then do it again.
It is the weekend. Please be good. Drive your cars carefully. Ride with people who drive carefully. Treat yourself with respect. Spend time with people who treat you with respect. Treat other people with respect. Talk nice to yourself. I look forward to hearing from you or seeing you. Keep yourselves whole, physically and emotionally.
P
The holiday season can be a time for enjoying family. It can be a time of dreading being pulled in two directions by in-laws and even three or four directions by step families.
Expectations of what the holidays are supposed to be like can be met with the disappointment of what they end up being like.
It can be exciting to do so many things and overwhelming to do so many things.
It’s a time to enjoy thoughtfully prepared meals together. We can eat too many helpings and way too many cookies.
It’s a time to experience the pleasure of giving and receiving gifts. That gift giving can cause worry and stress.
Shopping can be fun and the crowds can get overwhelming.
It might even snow a little on Christmas. A white Christmas can be fun. We could be buried in snow like last year. It makes driving difficult and dangerous. The garbage won’t get picked up for a month. There could be massive power outages.
It can be a time of year to be thankful for our jobs. Hating the job you have or not even being employed feels even worse during the holidays.
Work hours can increase this time of year only to be followed by reduced hours after the New Year.
It is a time of year when we experience both satisfaction and guilt.
It is also a time when we can feel gratitude for our blessings and resentment over what we don’t have.
It is a time of joy and a time when sadness can be highlighted.
We can savor our friendships this time of year and feel extra bitter about relationships that have gone bad.
The holidays may help me to realize how happy I am with my life or to see how disappointed I am with my life.
During one holiday season or another I have known virtually all of these experiences; the good and the bad, they are all real.
It is important to remind myself
To take a breath
To relax
To enjoy what is good about the season
To recognize I can only do so many things and be so many places
To work at being patient
To offer forgiveness beyond what I think should have to.
To feel my blessings
To spend more energy on what I can do for others than I do worrying about who does what for me.
To consciously choose to be grateful several times a day. And then do it again.
It is the weekend. Please be good. Drive your cars carefully. Ride with people who drive carefully. Treat yourself with respect. Spend time with people who treat you with respect. Treat other people with respect. Talk nice to yourself. I look forward to hearing from you or seeing you. Keep yourselves whole, physically and emotionally.
P
Friday, December 4, 2009
Pat, Carl, and Rhonda
I write three blogs--this one, a fishing blog, and a real estate blog. My post today is about something that happened while I was on the way back to the office from a meeting with a client. Please click the link to my real estate blog to see the story about Pat, Carl, and Rhonda. It is very much in the spirit of what I post in this blog.
http://jimpankiewicz.blogspot.com/
It is the weekend. Please be good. Drive your cars carefully. Ride with people who drive carefully. Treat yourself with respect. Spend time with people who treat you with respect. Treat other people with respect. Talk nice to yourself; you deserve it. I look forward to hearing from you or seeing you. Keep yourselves whole physically and emotionally.
P
http://jimpankiewicz.blogspot.com/
It is the weekend. Please be good. Drive your cars carefully. Ride with people who drive carefully. Treat yourself with respect. Spend time with people who treat you with respect. Treat other people with respect. Talk nice to yourself; you deserve it. I look forward to hearing from you or seeing you. Keep yourselves whole physically and emotionally.
P
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