Back in the day I was a "trailing spouse". To those of you young ones that meant as my spouse was transferred or changed jobs I "trailed" behind with children (or prior to) in tow. It could be said it meant I had little if any identity but have no fear, that did not apply to me.
The first "trail" led us from New York City to Kansas City, MO with no children. We lived in an apartment with lots of other young marrieds (mostly). I learned to play a mean game of tennis and we played poker on Friday nights. I was soon expecting and our #1 son John was born. To say we had fun just doesn't give it enough credit. I thought we were moving to be with Dorothy from the Wizard of Oz. I had never left the East Coast. We had a ball! Motherhood and homemaking suited me just fine after years as a nurse.
Before I knew what hit me we were off on another adventure and going to Orlando, FL. We were buying our first house. I think that's when the real estate bug bit me. I still remember our real estate agent and his extreme kindness. Though the house price was $42,000 we had to take back a 2nd from the builder. Of course new house new baby. Along came #2 son. If you know me you know #2 son had many "issues" and Orlando in 1976 just didn't have what we needed.
Off on another adventure to Atlanta, GA. New house, new baby and along came THE girl. We still call her THE girl. We had 4 homes in Atlanta but that's an entirely different story. We spent more then 15 years in Atlanta and the suburbs and I became a real estate agent. In 1996 I had the opportunity to trail again and we came to where we live now, metro Charleston, South Carolina....Mount Pleasant.
The purpose of this tale is two fold. First, being a trailing spouse back in the day was not a bad thing. I had an amazing opportunity to live in interesting places and meet great folks. Second I also met real estate agents. Most good; some not so good. But with all the experiences I had I knew being a Realtor could be fun, hard work and rewarding. I learned what I wanted to bring to my clients and customers. They need a true professional that knows her profession, her job and her place. When to talk and when not to. When to offer help and when to back off. When to hold a hand and give a hug and when to say thank you. I love what I do. I hope my clients know I appreciate their "business". Life is an adventure.
Comments(0)