Wednesday, July 13, 2011

"You are Never Old, Until Regrets take the Place of Dreams"

So I have fallen down on my writing.  I could claim busy-ness, and I certainly have been.  Over the weekend I was gone both days from before 8:30 to about 8:00 at night.  I keep returning exhausted, but when houses are selling one goes with the flow.  Because the spigot can be turned off, as quickly as our pond drained a week ago.  "Fish" was left high and dry - literally - but I rescued him and gave him a whole new world in my in-laws' pond....what a fish story!

The reality is that about a month ago I was speaking with an agent who said I should be careful, that in writing about homes I am in danger of violating a listing agreement.  In our contracts we present to the owners they have the right - and all do - to say they do not want third party comments about their homes.  It's a new clause, and I routinely check it.  But she said that I was walking a thin line with this blog.  

Now, for the most part I am complimentary, and I do not identify homes or properties unless they are my listings.  The agent agreed that I was careful - she reads my blog, as do other Realtors - but she put that seed of doubt in my head.  Where it stayed.  And grew a bit, so that when I did have time to sit down I chose not to write.  It wasn't a fear as much as a lessening of desire to write.  It had stopped being fun.  I had to worry about being censored by the Board.  It takes the fun out of writing, especially my style of conversational, stream of consciousness with little editing, style of writing. 

Yesterday a story appeared in the Post-Standard (and you can go on-line to read it at http://www.syracuse.com/ under Health and Fitness) written by Kathleen Poliquin about a young woman who gave birth to a baby 8 months ago and endured incredible medical hardships, but will compete in a Triathlon this summer.  Amazing.  Her belief system contains the following sentence:  "The biggest consequence of fear is missed opportunities." 

So I am banishing fear and pushing ahead.  If agents or sellers recognize their homes and do not like what I wrote, please tell me.  I will be conscious and conscientious, but I want to write this blog.

Today I read that an old friend had passed away.  He was a writer, a professional writer.  So this blog is for you, Nick!