Life as a realtor is pretty wild and crazy... no two half hour blocks are the same. There's a never ending To Do list, and someone always would like more of your time. It's easy to get so engrossed in details that you forget there is a fun life out there. To me real estate is WAY FUN. But I'm talkin bonkers fun. Get your groove on fun. Wild and crazy fun. That means putting on my goofy hat on occasion, and getting a little stupid.
*I dance wild and crazy with my daughters all the time... in the kitchen, camping, a parking lot... wherever we are. Music?... we don't need no stinkin music.
* This last thanksgiving we had a cowboy boot dance-off in our kitchen with my 85 year old Mom. She got the powder blue boots! Arlo, our drop in guest, had the most bizarre free-form dance contribution, that left my mom in stitches. Oh yeah... we ate turkey too. And 7 pies ;)
*We've been dune buggying in Florence every summer for nearly 30 years with about 50-70 friends. I'm a wiz at driving downwind, then whipping to the right as I crest a dune ridge, then accelerating down and across the face of the dune. Whooweee... There's no feeling like it in the world... except gunning it through a hugh bowl, then cresting over the top going sideways. I still find grains of sand in my ears on occasion. Don't even ask what we do with the Cuervo caps.
*After a 25 year hiatus, I decided to take up snow skiing again. Crap, what if I break my leg?... What if I ski into a tree? Wanna know what wild and crazy thing happened? I found a 2 carat diamond ring! Now that's crazy.
*At 57, as I slide into old ladyhood, I decided I didn't want to die without being able to play the guitar. So I bought a red Fender Acoustic/Electric, found me a long-haired guitar teacher, and I'm learning. Has it been easy? Heck, no. I spent 1 week solid, 45 minutes a day, on a two measure rift in Landslide. But on the 6th day, I did it. Not fast... but perfect. OOOWWWWW! Now that's fun. Today I'm working on Tears in Heaven. Progress, not perfection. Eric... move over, Baby.
*For my realtor pal's 50th birthday, I secretly wrote her a song about how her truck driving daddy let her drive his big-rig as a 13 year old down the Grapevine in a snow storm - true story! She was sitting on a phone book. (if that ain't one dead dog away from a country western song, I'll eat my hat!). I got up at her party, and sang it to her. Her eyes were as big as saucers, and she didn't scrape her jaw off her chest til I was done. Then she quit crying. (I't called Patti on the Highway, sung to "What was I Thinkin".) Now THAT was fun.
* We raise big bucks at our office for the Salvation Army. (nearly $200K in recent years). One fundraiser party was a Persian themed party called Cinco de Silk Road (last cinco de mayo). It started off a Pakistani dinner, but turned into the wildest shindig ever. I just jumped into unmapped sand dunes and came up with bizarre games where the costumed participants earned jewels and treasures from the Silk Road. They had to trade with each other to end up with their own assigned list of goods. The poetry contest was hilarious - writing a poem using the word "Timbuktu". The final event was a belly dance contest for the "Sword of Ali Baba". And who won??? Denghis Khan (Dennis) followed by Ali Bob a (Bob). And (sorry Dennis), but he is a pot bellied middle aged realtor... who knew? The neighbors still don't know what hit them.
Do I risk a little ribbing for some of my antics? Uh,, yeah.. a little. Ok, a lot. But as Denghis Khan said after his wife informed him how humiliated she was at his bare-belly hip-gyrating performance -"Work hard... play hard" I'll second that!
We know you work hard... what do you do to play hard?
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Check out my other posts that might be of interest.....
HOME BUYERS AND SELLERS..........Buying a Home, Selling a Home, Loans, What Happens if....
LOCAL INFO................................. Fair Oaks, Carmichael, Sacramento, Folsom, Citrus Heights
ABOUT SALLY DUNBAR.................. How I learned to...., Personal stuff, My Wordless Photos
OTHER STUFF............................... Inspiration, Attitude, Humorous Stuff, Charity, the Economy
TECHNOLOGY, BLOGGING ............. Active Rain, Technology
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Your Fair Oaks Realtor for homes for sale in Fair Oaks and the Sacramento Area of California.... I'm your gal (Sally Dunbar). I'm occasionally knowledgable, periodically humorous, and always willing to tell you everything I know. What more could you ask for?
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Sally Dunbar, 30 year Broker Associate, Lyon Real Estate, Fair Oaks, CA (916) 535-0356, SDunbar@GoLyon.com "Your Fair Oaks Realtor"
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67 Comments on How I Learned... Work Hard, Play Hard.
Good reminder. I am guilty of working too hard and not playing enough.
Jessica - never too late to get in balance.
Cynthia - Yeah, the diamond is a little out of character for me... but I suffer through it.
Norma - Yeah... i know just my age is old lady. My mind is about 16, 8, 24, actually about 32. And all of the above sometimes. But if I said I was 32, people would say "Man she looks like something the cat drug in". So I like 57.
Linda - come along. Bring your goggles, tho.
Joe - don't forget how the bifocals make everything a little blurry - it all looks better.
Sally: Thanks for the post and the reminder! It sounds like you are living your life to the fullest and you should be commended! Keep it up! We're only on this earth a short time. All the more reason to kick up our heels and live life on our terms! Take care.
My work is my play. I play hard 24 / 7 -- if I'm not listing or selling real estate in Sacramento, then I'm writing a book or working on my About.com site, adding more articles. This is FUN for me. I am passionate about the business. Which probably makes me sort of a screwball -- a dedicated screwball, I may add.
For example, I love photography, so when I shoot photos that I particularly like, whether it's a photo of a Land Park Tudor or people at the Farmers Market under the W/X freeway, I post those pictures on my blog and talk about them.
I also enjoy remodeling projects -- whether they are my own or somebody else's. I write about those projects, too. If I go on vacation (OK, at least once a year I take a week or two off or my husband would disown me), I blog about vacations, and they typically end up involving something real estate-related. I love people and I love to write, so real estate is a perfect fit for me.
Elizabeth... You are a great example of how everyone's fulcrum is different. I couldn't imagine my llife without my kids, and for me they are my biggest balance. I admire your writing so much... you are truly gifted and talented.
Paul - yep... make hay while the sun shines.
Sally - What a great post and the AR Gods picked up quick on this one. Thanks for the read/ photos and featured at:
HAPPY AT ACTIVERAIN
And welcome to the group,
Vegas Bob
Thanks Vegas Bob... and I AM happy at AR. You must be one of the happy gods....
Great post. Thanks for sharing the fun. We all need to remember to add FUN into our lives. All work and no fun makes us extremely dull.
Hello Sally-What a fantastic post. I love your attitude and fun loving spirit. It is awesome. A BIG CONGRATS on the feature. <smile>
Alicenjin - Yep... we all remember Jack.
Sharon - THANKS... I see your comments all over the place, too.
You are playing hard because you are working smart, not hard. Those that work hard do not have time to play hard. If you are playing hard and doing business, you got it goin' on.
Roll on.........
Tim - Pretty cool point. Most of the time I am working... and I am continually refocusing, deeloping new systems, perfecting my craft. That's honestly where most of my day goes. So when i play, my phone is off, and my mind is totally there. Basically "Be Here Now". Thanks for that perspective.
Hi Sally,
I really enjoyed reading your post, your energy shines right through in your writing! :)
Sally, comment #62. Do you believe you are budding Superstar yet? Or does the gang here have to take you to #100? LOL. I can pick a winner any day of the week. And it's YOU!! Now if my luck at the horse track were a little better Sis. ; )
Sally - I like that name and your very welcome!
"Happy Easter my friend"
Suzanne - You have a pretty beaming pic yourself!
Gary - Thanks for not mentioning that you are 3 of the posts and I'm 15 of them... but I'm still pretty impressed. And forget that "S" word... too much pressure. I just want to write what motivates me, and the right people will like it. I have one coming up on my Mom... maybe today.
Robert - You got it, pal.
Sally - great, great post! Been prepping for our beach week, kinda unplugged but your post came at the perfect time. I went from a smartphone (iphone) to a dumbphone (gophone). No internet capability and possibly no signal, but does it matter when I'm surfing with my daughter? Or making sandcastles?
We'll leave an imprint of a sand angel in the sand for you.
Marvin
Marvin - one of our funnest sandcastle adventures was in a sandy campground. We the kids made a whole village, with little twigs for trees, aluminum foil for lake bottoms, and golfish snacks for ... well... fish. There were little boxcars, and stickdolls. We they had so much fun.
Love the sand angel thing... put a pitch fork it one hand, tho... K?
VROOOOOOOM !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
..... sorry I'm late to the party !
..... I got held up in the Sahara !!!
Sheldon... You da MAN! I'll take you for a spin in my real dune buggy any time! Glad you already have a helmet.