It’s Friday, let’s sweep. | an open letter

Today’s post will not be more about what our real estate industry is allowed to do or not do during our current Stay Home, Stay Healthy order by Gov. Inslee. There are a handful of clarifications we are awaiting for and should have those by morning. If we do, I’ll update you here. For today, please lean into “no” you can’t do that right now if it is not from your living room. Need stronger verbiage when talking with a client who wants to see a new listing that came to market? Here it is: “It is illegal.” Somehow that “illegal” word gets right to the point and is heard.

Curious what you can you do from your living room? Digest this (watch + listen to these 3 minutes)…

 You can plant seeds.

An open letter to my FWL readers.

First up, a thank you. Thank you for reading. Thank you for digesting daily what we can. Thank you for understanding that information each day remains fluid. Thank you for reaching out to me; checking in on me. Thank you for sharing with me when this content is meaningful. Thank you for sharing with me when this content is confusing. Thank you for sharing with me when you don’t agree with this content. It all matters. It all goes with having a voice and being willing to write. Thank you.

 “Do not let what you cannot do interfere with what you can do.”  – John Wooden

We can’t physically go to our offices, yet via technologies like Zoom, in so many ways I feel more connected than ever. Thank you Zoom and darn you Zoom. I’m exhausted and yet I wouldn’t have it any other way to “see” so many of your faces. One day, Zoom and I will break up – just not yet. While some people are facing difficulties in their health, job security, overall finances or feelings of being disconnected because they are not able to be surrounding by a family inside their abode like I am – it is ok for me to be exhausted. If I can make a drop of difference during unprecedented times; it’s all worth it.

For those of you that know me well, I live squarely inside an eternal optimist bucket; yet I too have felt every emotion under the sun these past weeks. I have felt fear, yet I lean on daily routine to diminish that. I have felt anger after one of our offices was broken into on day one of our Stay Home order and yet my family reminded me that this person is struggling. You get the point; a rainbow of emotions…

I have also found + created plenty of joy. We can’t high five or hug each other, yet we can send a video message, send a handwritten note or make that extra call in connecting, showing gratitude and caring.  We can’t spend much time with our friends yet we can host virtual book clubs. I did. How many virtual happy hours happened this week around the world?  I’m surprised Zoom didn’t break all together. We can’t go out to eat yet we can can teach ourselves to cook something new – or in my case – my kids now realize I can cook! I’m serious about that. “Wow mom, didn’t know you can cook so well!”  We can’t travel, yet we can expand our view in reading a good book or listening to that podcast you’ve been meaning to listen to. And oh my goodness, the creativity during this time has been epic! We found ourselves without baking supplies for a birthday cake for my husband – problem solved: light up a cold Coca-Cola – a real treat to him!

Uncertainty continues to prevail day to day yet I am confident that we will eventually arrive at the other side of this time and humanity will prevail. We will be more awake + connected than before. We will see + feel more good.

No doubt, “predictions are a dangerous business right now” yet this…

At Windermere we don’t yet know exactly how COVID-19 will impact our regional housing market, though we remain confident in the long-term fundamentals. Far more important to us at this moment is doing what we do best: serving our neighbors, keeping our neighborhoods strong, and valuing people over transactions. We’ve been around long enough to have seen and helped our region bounce back from past challenges. Together we will do it again.

All in, for our neighbors.

I’m not at my desk. I’m home. I’m healthy. I’m grateful. You know where to find me.

Committed to “calm + caring thru crisis.” All in, for you. All in, for us.