A FENG SHUI STORY.... Quite a few years back while living in the Oakland, CA area, I was a kitchen designer. I was called by my former employer to help with a consultation with a current client of his. The client was the wife of a prominent surgeon who happened to be of Chinese descent. We went to the home and carefully measured the existing kitchen and discussed the various needs and wants regarding the new kitchen. We came back to the studio, and talked at length with the draftsman (this was before CAD programs) who over the next few days made splendid drawings of the kitchen that was to be. The good doctor's wife was gracious as we presented the renderings and politely told us that she would be taking the drawings with her, leaving the next day for Taiwan. She would be consulting with her necromancer (her words).

      Well...after her return from Taiwan we were told that the entire kitchen was to be RE-designed. Of course, we wanted to know why. It was because the cooking range was not on the WEST wall! HUH? Okay...whatever...she's paying for it...we'll re-design the kitchen with the range on the west wall...FINE! I don't even remember if the term FENG SHUI was even uttered at the time but it was a curious enough experience that it stuck in my mind and was something to talk about while engaging in designer shop-talk. Several years later I was in a much less affluent Chinese household on another consultation. It this kitchen, the gas line came through the exterior wall and immediately met an elbow that took the line to the nearest corner where there was another elbow and then the gas line extended to the next corner of the room and...yep...another elbow for 5-6' where it finally connected to the range." Hmmmm...it's that west wall thing these Chinese people do" I thought as I rubbed my chin. I continued on with my measurements and sketch and the gentleman eventually got his new kitchen. Everybody happy!

     Fast forward several years and I'm at convention in Orlando for the National Kitchen & Bath Association (NKBA). By this time I had a designation in that industry of Certified Kitchen Designer (CKD). In order to keep said designation intact, clock hours courses are necessary. Now, the courses required to earn these clock hours weren't terribly stringent...they just needed to somewhat pertain to the industry. When at convention, one can pretty much pick and choose so I wandered in to a 2 hour class on Feng Shui. "Sounds kinda kooky" I thought but..."hey, what the heck, I'll get through this" , I said to myself. Well...I started out the skeptic as I found a seat. The presenter was of the granola persuasion (long skirt, no make-up...you know the type). Within the first 15 minutes, Ms. Granola had me spellbound with her Feng Shui talk. It was as if I had been put in some sort of hypnotic trance and  it seemed like everything she said made total sense, all those little pieces were fitting together, her wisdom was resonating with my soul. When the class was over, I wanted to talk to Ms. Shirley Goodvibes Granola, maybe even be her soulmate! "Wow! Is this ever cool that the NKBA takes this Feng Shui stuff seriously enough to give clock hours for" I beamed to her.  I went back up to the exhibit area and loaded up on Feng Shui books and...by golly, I was going to go devour some new found knowledge!

      A few years later when I was a real estate agent in Bellingham (WA) and still in need of occasional clock hours to keep my RE licence intact...you guessed it...I took a clock hour course in Feng Shui approved by the State of Washington for RE agents. This presenter was not like Shirley Goodvibes Granola but she was also a very effective trainer in a subject that I was already familiar with so I immediately liked her too. She was tall with good posture and a great smile, we were going to get along just fine! Early in her presentation she made what I felt to be a good point. She let the class know that she likes Martinis. (Now...we were really going to get along!) But just because she likes Martinis, she explained, she doesn't always disclose to her RE clients that she likes Martinis. Some clients might not like that or think it's relevant to anything. So not EVERYONE will know that she likes Martinis. Similarly, not everyone of her RE clients would know that she's savvy with Feng Shui. Some people might think it's too hokus-pokusey or be threatened that the next move will be some attempt at getting them to change their religion. However...in all liklihood, more people than not..would at some point know that she knew at least a l'il sumpum 'bout Feng Shui.

  We did enjoy several Martinis that evening after the class and got to be friends. The next time she came up from Seattle to teach the course, she was a guest at out house. We shopped a little the next day. I called her at random one time while I was in Seattle and she and husband came and had Sushi with my daughter and I. I occasionally call her with a specific Feng Shui question and we'll chat a little while. I've even given a speech at Toastmasters on Feng Shui and have  included little snipits of it in the real estate courses that I teach.

    Since my divorce, I bought a condo and had the freedom to make all the design decisions myself. (Rubs hands together) I'm-a-gonna-Feng Shui this-here-condo! Friends...it came out great! I did my homework, took my time and carefully placed things. Everyone who come here says it's an awesome living space! Some of them don't even know I'm kinda savvy with Feng Shui or that I love Martinis!