One Year Ago

For grins I looked back at posts on this blog from a year ago. Life has certainly changed for the Sunshine family. 

A year ago Dad was hospitalized, his first of two in three months and the beginning of the end. It was the start of the crazy twice a week drives across town to meet with Dad's doctors. I would take much more of this crazy just to have Dad here with us. 

A year ago NewBoss was in rare form and driving Marty's department nuts. Incidentally, by mid-January this year, more than half of the 13 people in Marty's department quit. A few weeks later NewBoss was demoted and Marty's department has a new fearless leader as well as a bunch of new college grads. Incidentally, the new fearless leader regularly contacts Marty and the other members of the team who left, asking questions and asking for guidance.  

Marty does not miss his old job in the least. He is peaceful and happy and loves where he works now.

A year ago, I sat Marty down and explained that he needed a vacation. He'd taken one day off since July 2019. (The day off was a family picnic in the Flagstaff area during the lockdown.) I wanted him to go with me to Michigan. The discussion lasted three weeks. The vacation did him good.   

A year ago Buckaroo worked at Amazon, 30 miles from my home. I got up at 4:30 in the morning to drive him to work. Marty picked him up at 5:30 in the evening (our choice to drive him). I hear gas is over $5 a gallon in Phoenix right now. Buck quit this job last August to go to school. If he hadn't, he would have had to quit just because of the gas prices.  

A year ago Polly broke up with her fella of that moment. The fella's mom and I still talk and I still see his posts on Insta. He's a nice guy and we all agree he will make a great significant other for someone else.

A year ago I was dealing with the crazy of the Arizona real estate market. My clients at the time included Carla, an entitled woman who convinced her husband to sell his condo to pay off her debts. She was abusive and made me question my life choices. The agent on that particular transaction (Cruella) was probably in the top three of the most horribly unprofessional agents I ever worked with. 

Another potential client was a woman who wanted to sell her home so that the family could move closer to her teenaged daughter's crush. That "Christian" lady would lie to my face and scream foul if I pointed out the inaccuracies of her statements. I referred her out to someone else. 

Last year I decided I didn't need clients like this any more. Nor did I want to work with unpleasant real estate agents. After 18 years, the burn-out had gotten the best of me. The only reason I wasn't looking for employment and sticking with real estate at that time was I needed the flexibility my job offered to help take care of my Dad. 

Our time of transition here in Texarkana has been unusual. We have a lot more quiet. Our lives are slower. I'm happy Marty is at peace. I'm glad Buckaroo and Polly have less than four mile commutes. I am thrilled they are finding their way and creating a life here. 

As for me, I'm just relieved I'm not selling houses to crazy people.