Myrtle Beach Real Estate by Mirela Monte

The Maximum Age allowed for persons serving in the US Military is 60.

The Maximum Age allowed for Pilots, according to FAA regulation is 65.

The Maximum Age allowed for Air Traffic Control Specialists is between 57 to 61.

Even Federal Park Rangers have an age limit of 57.

Why then, do we not have regulation in place for a Maximum Age limit of School Bus Drivers? Are our children less significant than the animals in our National Parks?

Yesterday, the Myrtle Beach Academy of Arts, Science and Technology, lost a bright young student to an accident involving a school bus. The driver of that school bus is 76 years old. Why did Horry County School district entrust the precious lives of our children to a 76 year old driver?

Many school districts have maximum age limit requirements for their school bus drivers. Some of them have been taken to court because of these requirements. Are we afraid of litigation so much that we are willing to put our children’s lives in danger?

47% of public school students ride a school bus to and from school every day. If we are recognizing the value of a particular maximum age for various jobs involving public safety, why are we leaving out the safety of 25 million children? I believe the Federal Government needs to enact a law addressing this issue. What are your views on this and what are you willing to do about it?

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection Join The Optimist Group!

It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see…

My son is going to war in a few days. This is no news; it’s been looming over me for quite some time. The immediacy of this is now weighing on my shoulders like the ton of emotional baggage that it is.

A deep sadness has descended upon my being, the kind of melancholy that penetrates into the very soul. I lost my beloved grandmother this year. Now my son is going to war. I recently found out I have Hashimoto disease. My five year relationship with my significant other has ended this year. My business has absorbed every ounce of my energy lately. Frankly, I am worn out. I guess I could just retreat in a corner somewhere and be miserable, but that's just not me. Instead, I choose to focus on all the wonderful things in my life and find the balance that will carry me through this, or any other hardship. Of course, affirmations and motivational quotes can certainly infuse the right perspective:

“That which does not kill you makes you stronger.” Nietze

"Those who do not know how to weep with their whole heart, do not know how to laugh either."

"The bad things in life open your eyes to the good things you weren't paying attention to before." Good Will Hunting"

“Life is like an onion; you peel off one layer at a time and sometimes you weep.” Carl Sandburg

“The Future belongs to those who Believe in the Beauty of Their Dreams.” Eleanor Roosevelt

“Hope is some extraordinary spiritual grace that God gives us to control our fears, not to oust them.” - Vincent McNabb

"Extraordinary afflictions are not always the punishment of extraordinary sins, but sometimes the trial of extraordinary graces."

"The most pathetic person in the world is someone who has sight but no vision."-Helen Keller

"Remember that everyone you meet is afraid of something, loves something, and has lost something." Jackson Brown Jr

"The hardest arithmetic to master is that which enables us to count our blessings." — Eric Hoffer

While the weight on my shoulders is heavy right now, I choose to embrace my melancholy and weep my quiet tears, while forging forward with my Life, hopeful for the future. I am grateful for the many blessings bestowed upon me. I choose to look at the bright side of my tribulations:

1. I lost my beloved grandmother this year. While I am still mourning her loss, I am thankful to have had her with me for as long as I have. 96 years is a long time to spend loving life on this Earth. Her essence has been distilled in me and my children and her loving heart has touched so many people in ways that will make her presence felt for many years to come...

2. My son is going to war. While I tremble at the mere thought of his departure, I am resolute in my belief that things are as they should be. This is his Life’s journey and I have to respect his decision. I am hopeful that his involvement in this war will have a positive impact on other people and on the course of history. I pray for his safety every night and I believe that he will return home alive and well.

3. I recently found out I have Hashimoto disease. My dentist's three year old son has cancer and only a 30% chance of survival. My health problem is nothing compared to that. I won't die and I'll most likely get better. I am taking a holistic medication and I am already 50% better than I was four months ago.

4. My five year relationship with my significant other has ended this year. We meet and connect with people for various reasons. Each relationship will get us to where we need to be. I am thankful for the wonderful memories and hopeful that I have learnt from the experience. When my heart mends, I will have a good relationship again.

5. My Real Estate Practice has absorbed every ounce of my energy this year. I am one of the Lucky Realtors, for I am still in business… While dealing with these short sales and foreclosures is emotionally draining, I am training myself to keep my eyes on the good that I do on a daily basis and concentrate on how important it is to my clients that I am in their lives.

I embrace Life’s yin-yang, the hills and valleys of the human existence. Being an Optimist doesn't mean that you lead a charmed life, devoid of pain and hardship. How could you possibly appreciate all the joys conferred by Life, if you don't have the sorrows as points of reference? Yes, I cry the tears. Yes, I learn the lessons. Yes, I feel the pain... Through it all, I hold my head up high and my spirit full of hope.

"Life's short; live it fully!"

"It's not what you look at that matters, it's what you see." Henry David Thoreau

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Connection Proud Optimist!

The Myrtle Beach Academy has lost a bright star today. Marc Chaplin, a senior at the school, was killed within a short distance of the Academy, when his motorcycle collided with a North Myrtle Beach school bus at 8:10 this morning.

Marc’s death sent shock waves through the school, where he was well liked. There was a lot of sobbing and hugging at the Academy today. Many left school in the morning, unable to contain their grief.

Tomorrow many of Marc’s friends will wear purple in his honor. Marc and his buddies had a “purple shirt” day every week.

The bus driver involved in the collision will be asked some hard questions and possibly prosecuted for manslaughter. The details of the accident are not yet out, but one of my daughter’s friends, who used to ride the bus driven by him, stopped taking that bus because she was afraid of his driving.

Marc’s friends have created a Facebook Group in his honor. Marc was wearing a helmet, and he had a reputation for being a very careful driver, but a motorcycle is a dangerous thing… If we can do anything constructive with this deep sadness, let it be spreading the word about how dangerous motorcycles are.

My heart goes out to Marc’s parents. Losing your child has to be Life’s most tormenting pain. There are no words to describe the deep sorrow of our entire community for the loss of this lovely young man. May he rest in peace!

Mirela Monte

Mirela Monte, Your North Myrtle Beach Oceanfront Condo Connection Wow North Myrtle Beach!

How has your job changed in the past couple of years? My business card says Realtor Broker, but my job entails so much more nowadays: I am a social worker, general contractor, psychologist, loss mitigator, asset preservation specialist, credit counselor, short sale specialist, reo specialist, foreclosure counselor. My days are spent solving problems. That’s really what should be written on my card:

Mirela Monte, Problem Solver

Do I sell Real Estate anymore? Yeah, and lots of it, but the quality of my life has deteriorated immensely. I work 80 hour weeks, not for the money, but because I have too many balls up in the air. Real Estate is not for sissies! It is a full time, all consuming endeavor, more so now than ever before.

“God bless you if this is how you have to deal with more deals this year. If so, you are in need of a vacation.”

These were the words of a builder on a project I am handling on one of my Bank Owned properties, a spec taken back by the bank right before it was completed. We’ve had so many obstacles on that project that what started as the 100 yard dash has turned into the Boston Marathon - only at the ‘dash’ tempo!!! In the past year and a half, I’ve sold that house seven times and I’m yet to close on it. I could write a book about it and I just might, however the project in question will be a mere chapter, since I also have several others with various sized problems.

As I close them all, I get even more business. Such and such person hears about my feat and comes to me to solve their problem. I’m not complaining, it’s good to have business these days; I just want to know if the lifestyle I’m having right now is sustainable for long periods of time. Am I paying the price for solving other people’s problems with my own life, or is this extraordinarily tenuous period going to propel my career into the stratosphere?

How many of you have changed gears and are now bearing down under a mountain of stress? The way I figure it, I’d rather carry the stress, rather than the mountain of bills… What do you think?

How has your life changed because of this Market?

Mirela Monte, Your Myrtle Beach Real Estate Connection Join The Optimist Group!