Normal is a Setting on a Dryer

Merriam-Webster defines the word ‘normal’ as: conforming to a standard; usual, typical, or expected. A Southern friend of mine describes it this way: “Honey, ‘normal’ is just a settin’ on the dryer”! (This is also the title of a book by Patsy Clairmont, which is an good read right now).

I skipped last month’s Blog Newsletter because things have not been normal in my world, in the world of Real Estate and in fact, not normal for anyone in the world.  This COVID-19 pandemic has hit us on so many different levels that we are not sure what ‘normal’ is any more. And every one of us is trying to find their ‘new normal’.

This ‘quietness’ almost reminds me of the off-season back in the day…Sarasota used to be a ghost town all summer. Businesses closed or reduced hours. There was very little traffic. There were no crowds and no waiting to get in to your favorite restaurants. You could find a parking place at the beach. We could easily do pretty much whatever we wanted to do. But not now.

Some of the things I can’t do now:

• Shake your hand
• Touch anything without thinking about it first
• Go to the grocery store willy-nilly like I used to
• Go out to dinner
• Go to baseball and football games

None of this is the end of the world! 

What I CAN do:

• Be thankful that my wife and I are healthy (and I hope that you are too!)
• Stay on top of the Real Estate market every day
• Dive into more continuing education on Real Estate law and contract law
• Stay in touch with you just to say “Hi”, which I will continue to do
• Catch up on household projects (my wife’s Honey-Do list is very long) 
• Enjoy some extended quiet time on the lanai with books I have been meaning to read
• Take the time to truly appreciate my life and my career

I am staying focused on the silver linings we have. We still live in paradise and now there’s more time to reflect on how lucky I am to have grown up here in Sarasota. My wife Liz and I have taken some long drives lately…sightseeing in a sense, and seeing what we have with different eyes and reminding ourselves how special life is. Yes, it will take a while for Real Estate to come around and, as it will be with so many things after this pandemic is over, it will be a different normal but we will all be OK. So for now, I am staying home...working on my Honey-Do list and helping Liz put the clothes in the dryer and trying to find that setting that says 'Normal".

I am confident that the Real Estate market will be fine in Sarasota, Florida. I am not considered essential as a Realtor right now. But I am essential as your friend. You can count on that.