Being a new Realtor can be tough - but then nobody told me it'd be easy. Being a new Realtor while also juggling a toddler, however, yields interesting and unpredictable results!
I have one daughter, age 3 years going on 10 any day now (or so she tells me). She's also been adjusting to my new career, and doing a fairly good job of it I have to say. The only drawback is... it's no fair that I always get to be the mommy and go to work! Sometimes she wants to too! Being the softie that I am, I try and let her play "pretend" as often as possible. I will always be grateful that I gave in on one particular day, however.
One of the first purchases I made on starting my trek on the Real Estate path was a Blackberry, so I could check emails while I'm out, get text messages, pages, that sort of thing. I have to admit it's a nifty toy - and my daughter thinks so too! It has a leather case with a clip. Pretty secure. So of course, within a week of getting it my daughter informs me that she is now the mom and she needs the phone - just to hold, she assures me. I decided it was ok for her to hold it as long as it stayed in the case.
I watched her like a hawk for a while as she chattered happily about her work and informed me that I would have a lot of fun at "school" today. The Blackberry was held securely in both little paws, and - as promised - stayed in the case. All was well. Eventually I forgot about it, trying to hustle us out the door on time to get her to her daycare.
Shoes, Check.
Raincoat, Check.
Blanky-Bear, Check.
Backpack, laptop, purse... checkcheckcheck.
Potty? We make it a habit now that Kiriel is toilet trained to go before leaving the house. She has a small potty that she uses right beside the toilet. I had long since tuned out her "work" pretend chatter, trying to get everything organized and into the car, all ready to start my day, all pumped for my new career! Her potty business all finished, she moves off to the side and I dumped the contents into the toilet, and then turned to the sink to wash my hands, reaching for the lever to flush the toilet as I do.
*thumpflapSPLASH!*
With a gasp of pure horror, I plunged my hand into the toilet and pulled the Blackberry to the sink, struggling to get it out of the case. It was not a happy piece of technology. I dried it off as best I could, assuring my daughter in a slightly hysterical voice that it was ok, it was an accident...
Forty-five minutes later, I was standing outside the local computer store. I had dropped Kiriel off and gone home to try and use a hair-dryer on the device. It was showing signs of life, and I thought if I could just open it up more, it might dry more and be saved. I knew the owners of the computer store and figured if anyone had a teeny tiny screwdriver, it would be them. They didn't open for another fifteen minutes, however, so I decided to go into the cafe next door to bide my time.
Sitting by the window at the front of the store is a fellow I know through the computer shop - a friend of one of the owners. He invites me to sit with him. I was still pretty frazzled about my Blackberry and wasn't sure I would be great company, but I was also determined not to let it get to me. Still feeling a little green at the gills, I decided to sit with him and we chatted - I must admit I told him of my mornings misadventures. At some point it came up, and I let him know I've switched careers and become a licensed Realtor.
"Oh really? Maybe you can help me!" he exclaimed.
He became my first client. The Blackberry died, and I couldn't have been happier.
It just goes to show.. if you dive in, get your hands dirty, and keep a positive attitude, anything can happen.