Good Deed #3- Share the "Wealth"

Today was the first day on the job for my latest remodelling adventure. I'm working in a unit that is almost exactly like the last one... only this time, I got the green light to make improvements to every room! I literally skipped eating breakfast because I was so excited to get there and begin the transformation.

When I arrived, my demo partner had a guy with him. The two tough guys tore out the old surround in the shower, ripped out the creepy sink and demolished the poorly intstalled tile "trim." I was doing the delicate work: painting the front bedroom. The color looks amazing! I chose Valspar's "Outlands Subtle Taupe" (6005-1B), which is approved by the National Trust For Historic Preservation. It's a nice change from the barely-beige, and a rental-friendly color.

While I was on the ladder, "Bill" approached me with a proposition. It seems Bill is unemployed as well, and like me, in serious need of cash. Bill wants to help me out with some painting. As much as I would like to hoard all of the work hours and as a result, have more money to support myself... I know exactly what Bill is going through, and if I were him, I wouldn't want to hear "no."

So, I took my personal wants and needs out of the picture. If I share the "wealth" with Bill, the project will be completed sooner, which means the unit can be rented sooner. The sooner the unit rents, the sooner the owner has more money. The sooner the owner has more money, the sooner I get more work. And if I share the hours with Bill... I've done a good deed.

Done deal.

I checked in with the owner on the drive home. She's a little nervous about the renovation costs, but being a good sport about the spending. I absolutely love working with her. Times are tough for everyone, and sacrifices have to be made to survive. She has asked me to do some administrative-type work for her, in addition to the remodel. I gave it some thought, and decided to voluntarily lower my pay rate for the "office" work. Again, she has to have money to support herself and her properties, and the more money she has, the more opportunities I will have to continue to work for her. It just seemed fair. The right thing to do.

I thought about counting that as two good deeds in one day... but I want to keep the momentum going. I don't want this spirit to end too soon. Although I have yet to help an old lady across the street, or give a homeless person a sandwich, I'm enjoying focusing on what I can do for others, instead of focusing on myself.

Good Deed #2- Free Life Coach

Although this good deed is going to cost me three good days of progress towards a "normal" sleep schedule, I feel pretty damned good about this one. I happened to see one of my sporadic online chat buddies on Messenger and thought I'd say hello. I didn't really feel like "talking," but I'm sure a lot of people haven't really felt like talking to me and they suffered through it!

Well midway through the conversation, "Travis" was checking out some of my photos from my recent trip. He complimented me on them, which I appreciated, but then I chose to turn the focus onto him. See, Travis is like myself, and a few other people I'm friends with. Travis is a truly creative soul that was talked out of, and discouraged from being who and what he was, in order to make other people happy in order to become a more "successful" something-or-another. This is a slow and painful "death" for creative folk. The fear of rejection, and lack of support, leads most of us to depression, and at the very least, a nagging inner confusion.

"I spent 28 years of my life doing what other people wanted me to, and the last 9 years cleaning up THAT disaster," I shared.

Though we have talked many times... Travis never opened up about his own rejection as a creative child. He had an "ah-ha" moment, and went into a beautiful babble-fest about the freedom he felt after talking about this. I promised to adopt him into my creative-yet-somewhat-lost soul family.

Now he's sleeping, and I'm up watching the end of the 6 a.m. news... but knowing that he's going to do SOMETHING that honors his creative inner soul will bring me a silent joy that will surely be rewarded with a good day's rest, and a little dose of my own inspiration.

Good Deed #1- Beautiful!

One of my goals for the New Year is perform at least 365 good deeds. These deeds may be simple, or complex, for strangers, or friends and family. The only requirement is that they are "good." Although I have always enjoyed volunteering and helping people, I felt I could have done a lot more of these things last year. So to encourage my good-deediness, I will be reporting my good deeds to my dear readers.

Good Deed #1:

My marvelous mother had grown two inches of gray roots on her head. Since abandoning her stylist in protest of my tragic job loss, she has been coloring her own hair. However, she has difficulty applying the color in some areas. I secretly wanted to be a hair-stylist when I was young, and I definitely love my mother, so letting her wander around looking like a half-crazed old lady would just be cruel!

Despite being quite tired and having "other things to do," I phoned mother last night and invited her to my "beauty shop." Not only did I color her hair, I blow-dryed and styled it for her. Had she gone to the salon, this would have cost her at least $85. I happily did it for free, and enjoyed the time we spent together.

Off to a Good Start!

2009 is off to a good start!

I was lounging around in my seriously non-sexy survival sweats watching "The Forgotten" when my last remodel "client" called. She wanted me to meet up with her and a potential tenant to show the property in a half an hour! I quickly transformed from financially-challenged hermit, into casual-chic property manager and headed out the door.

As I pulled up, the potential tenant was already leaving. Apparently the unit didn't suit her. My client and I then discussed remodelling plans for the vacant unit. This unit is getting a more intense overhaul then the last... and am I ever excited! My client is excited! Off to Lowe's we went. I selected paint colors, tile, hardware and fixtures; spending a brief amount of time daydreaming about some glass tile that would look fabulous in my own kitchen and bathroom.

After hauling all of the materials into the unit, I returned home and began creating property assessment, general information, and security deposit forms. Our goal is to provide tenants with a "welcome packet" to make their stay more enjoyable and increase the longevity of their residency. With the troubled economy, finding and keeping tenants is a challenge. This challenge has become my challenge, as the client has asked me to take on some "property management" responsibilities. Considering property renovation and management is a business I had hoped to jump-start last year, this is a fabulous opportunity!

Releasing the Ghost

I'm back! Safely returned from a two-day journey into the seclusion of the wintry wilderness. My dad's side of the family (minus Dad, of course), and a few friends rang in the New Year together in a semi-rustic cabin. We "roughed-it" in our long underwear, sleeping bags, sweatshirts, boots, hats and gloves. Most of us skipped out on technology and the fanciness of city life the entire time.

The place we stayed at is located on the grounds of a camp that was established in 1904. My grandmother, who turned 87 during our trip, was the camp nurse for some 30 or more years there. A legend in her own right. She took my brother and I there every August when we were kids, and it always brings back fond memories. Simply hiking the snow-covered trails, and snapping pictures of the birch trees while searching for driftwood, brings me a simplistic joy that I look forward to.

We shared many laughs. Some at the expense of my sauced-up brother, and others at the thought of eating the "poisonous" meatballs that had been left out over night. I got to spend some quality time with my three younger cousins, which was probably my favorite part of the trip. They are smart, talented, and very personable. However, we are so far apart in age, that life circumstances hadn't allowed us to spend much time together. The last night of the trip, two of them joined me in trying to spook the relatives that were inside with an illuminated resuscitation dummy head. (That's the "ghost" in the photo.) We were crawling through the snow, sneaking around corners, and trying not to giggle too loud. Just plain silly fun.

I debated posting a "recap" of 2008... but I decided to just let it be. It wasn't the best year for most of us, and 2009 is likely to be a bit of a challenge as well. I've decided to make the popular choice of hoping for the best and start this year fresh and new. In fact, I haven't made any concrete decisions, or resolutions, for this New Year of ours. I have some vague goals... and that's about it!

My immediate plans for January are to meet with the necessary people at the college to sort out my financial aid and select either "Human Services," or "Paralegal," for my path of study. I'll also likely be enrolling in the ceramics class I had taken previously. My remodelling "client" has asked me to work on a recently vacated apartment, and also assist her in marketing the one I had just finished. So... I have some things to look forward to!

I'm releasing the "ghost" of 2008, and I will not let it haunt me. I may reflect on the strange and funny things that happened, but I'm making a conscious effort not to dwell on the negative, or live in the past. Time continues to move forward, and I'm going to hop on board.