Where do you find your BLISS?

OK, I have been thinking about this for some time. The only thing stopping me was I wasn't sure how to start it. I also didn't know exactly how to end it. As a matter of fact, I wasn't exactly sure what to put in the middle either. But, other than that, I knew exactly how I wanted it to go.

I want to discuss finding your BLISS. I want to talk about what makes you happy. I want you to look at things a bit differently and not be down because of what is happening around you. I know this is a stressful time in the Real Estate business, but we can make it through it. I had it all written an hour ago, finally got my thoughts together and my computer decided to reset itself. All gone. Hopefully, this will even be better than the original.

First of all, let me explain that I have had my share of hardships and down times in my life. The worst happened this past year when my wife of 35 years, Elaine, passed away. She was my motivation and it was a huge change in my life when that happened. Elaine, as we told everyone, was my first wife, and I was her last husband. That is one of the reasons that I became a grandfather at 32 and a great grandfather at 54.

Now, to begin with, nothing can MAKE you happy. Nothing can MAKE you sad. You decide how you are going to feel. Feelings are not right or wrong, they just are. You decide how to respond to stimuli and happenings. Right now, the stimuli of the mortgage business is pretty negative. I have even heard that there are some areas of the country that has had a slow down in Real Estate sales. I know that is very hard to believe, but I have heard stories.

So, what is the result of your BLISS? You notice, I didn't ask what caused your BLISS, I asked the result of it. We make our own decisions as to how we feel and if we are actually finding what we are looking for, don't we?

There really isn't much that makes me feel better than helping someone purchase their first home and that contributes to my BLISS. But I actually find my BLISS in several ways. Here are some of the ways I celebrate my BLISS. I am going to add some of the ways my wife did also.

Grandchildren are God's way of rewarding us for not killing our children when they were young. Great grandchildren are interest on that.

I managed to purchase a Mustang convertible for Elaine a few months before she passed away. She loved it and I received tremendous pleasure from her enjoyment.

Vacations are excellent ways to enjoy joint BLISS. We loved Mazatlan and I have such fond memories of Mexico.

Fishing (well catching actually) is so much fun and relaxing. I normally do catch and release, but I really like eating salmon.

My wife celebrated her BLISS with gardening. Now, as a farm boy from Salem, I had enough of this when I was growing up, but again I enjoyed her pride in her garden.

I also celebrate the accomplishments of my children. My daughter is a registered nurse and my son retired as a Chief Petty Officer from the Navy. Wow!

Watching my son drive a NASCAR at 142 miles per hour was a real trip. I would have been interested, but they didn't have a big enough window to get me in and out of.

You can choose your friends, but family you are stuck with. In this area, I feel pretty good. I have lost my parents but both my older brother and sister are still around and we talk often. This is my sister's anniversary photo. They have been married over 50 years and neither one has killed the other, yet. Must have been some BLISS in there somewhere.

I used to ride a motorcycle (until the car hit me), but my memories of cruising around Guam with my wife will continue to add to my BLISS.

Finally, I want to discuss unconditional love. I know that humans talk about unconditional love and are capable of it from time to time. However, when you want unconditional love, I recommend a dog. No matter what, they love you for who you are no matter what is happening to you at the moment.

Well, this is pretty long and rambling, but I hope it is useful to someone. Please feel free to add things that bring you BLISS. Include photos.