Children, horses, and real estate networking!

Although I did not know it at the time,my introduction into Real Estate in the late 1970s opened doors that I never would have found on my own.

One blessing in particular came in the form of eye surgery for my middle son. He had an eye that traveled as he attempted to focus on any one thing. This created a vision problem that was not getting any better as he aged. With the vision problems also came anger. He did not know that he was angry, or why, but his behavior showed that he WAS angry. Not being able to see must be annoying.

In seeking some relief from the obvious problems, we sought therapy in the form of horseback riding. For a small five year old child to be able to control a huge beast was therapeutic. We had also gotten a medical professional in to the mix. The Dr. had put the child in glasses the thickness of coke bottles.

Having to wear the glasses added to the anger factor, but they were obviously necessary. Right?

Horseback riding was the high point of our weeks activities. It was a priviledge we would not have had except for having been introduced to it through one of our clients. Ah! The wonderful world of Real Estate.

It did not take long for our horseback instructor to pick up on the anger factor. As I sat blissfully watching my three sons ride one afternoon, one of the teachers called me over. He said “ Have you had that boys eyes tested?” I looked at him incredulously. My thought was “Why No! I just went to the five and dime store and got those extreme glasses....!” Before I could smart off, the teacher said “watch this!” “Hey Nucklehead,” (this was a term of endearment between teacher and student.) “Run that pattern again, the one you just did.” The young horseman ambled through the drill. “Now take off your glasses and run it again. The glasses were shed without ceremony and the pattern was run flawlessly. The teacher looked at me and said “Sugar, those glasses are too strong! The boy cannot see with them.”

A few days later back at the doctor, the problem was not found. This time instead of just buying the opinion and continuing down the anger trail, I decided we needed to see a specialist.

One of the agents in the office where I worked was a doctors wife. She had heard me telling the horse analysis story to another agent. As it happened, she personally knew a doctor who specialized in childrens' eye surgery. She got an appointment for us without the usual long wait. The assessment indicated that the shortening of a muscle could correct the problem. Correct it and correct it quickly? It seemed worth a try!

We had the surgery. The “child” is now 37 years old, still functioning completely without glasses. What a wonderful world of vision networking in the Real Estate world opened for us.