Hubby to the rescue!

Rushing to get out the door, a day filled with tasks, a doctor's appointment, finding a place for my son after school...a conversation on the way to school with my son regarding my job and if I actually work... "well you don't work as hard as daddy..." the words stung like a bee... really, this kid has no concept of what I do to enjoy more time with him, anytime.. I am my own boss.. I control how busy or slow I am... he sees me home a lot... to a 7 year old that isn't working hard I guess... why did I let a 7 year old make me tear up about something he at 7 can't possibly appreciate....- "mom, I am not trying to be rude," he insisted. We set out with his bike so he could ride home with some friends after school so I could go to a long awaited doctor's appointment. Upon arriving at school and taking the bike out of the back of the truck we discovered the tire was flat... "great" I thought... just one more thing to add to my already hectic busy day.. I had to blow up birthday balloons for one of the teacher's at school for the PTA, meet a mom for coffee to discuss a project, put a listing/pictures in the computer, had to draw up listing paperwork for another couple, look up houses, make phone calls, check on a short sale, get over to a client's house to do some touch-up cabinet work because he was out of town... and the list went on and on. "Ok honey, I will go home and get your scooter and come back and collect your bike... no worries." 2 hours after we had this conversation I already forgot about the bike, the exchange and my promise to my son... why.. because I had at least 5 conversations after that one of which lasted 30 minutes with a client, that led my mind and focus in other directions. I had a last minute booking to see 5-6 houses and I still had to make the appointments to view them and then get ready and look presentable to show... Good gosh it was only 11:00 and I had been up since 4:30 and still felt behind. In my business for the last 16 years, you realize sometimes you have to go with the flow of the client... if you do not have a specific appointment that keeps you from meeting with them, you may as well go... otherwise you have to plan another time that may be less convenient or risk the loss of viewing the home that they really want because they waited to see it... in a market with low inventory, the good stuff that is priced right goes fast for the most part. On the way to viewing the houses I remembered the bike... already 20+ minutes away from my home! "UGH!" Really!? And the mom of the year award goes to...I quickly called my friend whose house he was going to after school and she came up with a solution of taking him a scooter from her house so he could "ride" to their house after school... but than his bike would have to stay locked at school over night as it would NOT fit in her car. Dilemma.. Newer Bike... Sports Authority Going Out of Business Sale... Great Deal... not going to find that again if it get's stolen... all this flashed through my mind! Would I have time to show the homes, drive back to the school 25 minutes, grab the bike and go back 25 minutes to make it to my doctors appointment at 3? It was 2:04... hmmmm... I made a quick phone call to a really good friend who has an SUV and also picks up her son from school.... After a 25 minute pow wow conversation about both our somewhat unexpected day...as she had things pop up as well. I was reassured she would step in and rescue the bike at parent pick-up... prayers do get answered, sometimes you just need to ask for a little help. In the meantime having a conversation with a client who had chosen not to renew their listing at this time when it expires in 1 week, after almost 6 months of money and time spent marketing this home, I was devastated, did she not understand all the effort I put in? That sometimes it is just the right timing... sometimes it is not the agent's efforts or lack there of... sometimes it is expectations, sometimes it is finding that right buyer who maybe hasn't come along yet, or the house she is suppose to buy after she sells her current one is not yet available... I spent a lot and did a lot and thought outside the box a lot and things are just starting to finally pick up for her price range and location and after she takes it off the market and does some updating... she may or may not relist with ME? Really... I did everything I could... how can I save this is all that was going in my mind... A small conversation with hubby, who bless his heart doesn't always find the right words to comfort me when my mind blames itself for what could I have done different, better... His words this time came exactly as needed, he said what I needed to hear to let go of what was beyond my control and realize that if I do everything with a whole heart, with passion and positive energy, even the times it does not work out.... I can't always change the choices and reactions of others... but I can chose how I respond, how I react, how I feel and how I move forward... I don't have to chose to "take it personally." You cut your losses and go on. After hanging up with him my mind was more clear for the wheels to start turning and come up with a plan... if the listing wasn't going to renew and I still had a week left to try... think outside the box Dani, think outside the box... some money is better than none, and I quickly emailed the client with a plan.. Next onto the doctor for a long awaited appointment to discuss none other than getting my tubes tied... After years and years of birth control.. I was done having this little pill dictate my moods... the older I get the more it becomes a risk and my family's history isn't all the best with women and health effects... My insurance (God bless my hubby's amazing county job) covers the whole surgery 100%! But just like any surgery.. there are risks and I wanted to discuss exactly what those are. In the meantime I get a text from a client who wants to see a house sometime after 4 in NE Mesa... I was sitting in San Tan Valley at doctor's office at 3:08... hmmm... okay how do we make this work... Appointment to show scheduled for 5:00- clients and I arrive at 4:40 up to the front of the home... in the meantime trying to discuss with another client and figure out how she can get the home of her dreams that we wrote an offer on 2 days prior and got rejected... what loan program, how much down, what changes, additions could we do to get her to where the seller needed to NET in order to say yes to the house. Sometimes, just as my son cannot "see" this back and forth, this negotiation, the internal stress...It can be just as hard work, just as exhausting as my husband's physical job. What we perceive is not always reality. What looks like an easy, cake-like job where I have flexibility and can be my own boss, can make my own hours and make " a lot" of money per deal... in actuality if you divided out the hours I spend, the driving I do and the amount of time my brain works in between negotiating and getting that client into or out of their home... It can really be negative dollars per hour in some cases! I actually calculated it once on a really hard deal I did... never will I do that again.. so disappointing! You always have to strive for the bigger picture... I am helping someone and what is truly right for me must also serve others. After almost 1 hour in this home, you could see my client's excitement and spinning wheels in their head of the potential of this house... as they left to discuss putting in an offer, I climbed back into the truck to have received an email from my almost expired listing client agreeing to my outside the box thinking... she even noted a message thanking me for thinking outside the box... Awesome! My client trying to get the home of her dreams came across yet another hiccup... so we were back to square one but had another option they had to ponder regarding coming in with more money to make it work...did they really want to do this, did they want to try and keep looking for a less expensive house? We will see what God has in store for them and if this house is meant to be theirs we will find another way. I ran to the store for salad stuff, as this was apparently my cheat day as I had a donut for breakfast ( I rarely even eat donuts), french fries and an iced-coffee for lunch... and a couple bites of an apple! I assumed a salad for dinner was most appropriate, but we had ran out of lettuce... I picked Paxton up from his friends, ran to my other friend's house for his bike and set out for home... I think we arrived a little after 7:00.. My husband had made his own dinner, fed all our animals and cleaned up. I made Paxton mac and cheese, myself a salad and we all talked about our day. Earlier in the day I had mentioned to hubby my son and I's conversation regarding my work or what he thought was a lack there of. Paxton welled up with tears and said he wasn't trying to be mean... he was embarrassed. We reassured him that we were not upset or mad at him... Dad told him of the importance of my job, how it contributes to our household, allows him to be in all the activities he is in and have a mom that is mostly around all the time but still works... that was the 2nd time in one day my husband made me proud that almost 19 years ago I chose him to spend the rest of my life with... it is moments like these that no matter the hustle and bustle the day throws at you. When you are united as a family, supportive of one another and on the same page with your goals and desires... life supports me to be myself. Life shows me that I am enough and I have enough. I am the creator of my experience. Let life be easy... I am too blessed to be stressed. There could be far worse encounters and conditions than what my day brought... and for that I am thankful for what I have. A wife of noble character who can find? She is worth far more than rubies. Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value. She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life. Proverbs 31: 10-12