I have bought a lot of houses. Lots as homes, and lots as investments. I think one of the hazards of being a real estate agent is this…a true obsession with house buying. Every time I buy a home, it is a love affair. A love affair with what I imagine could be. I know that not everyone associates a home with what will be the perfect life, but I do. I for some reason, always have.
My daughter’s friend died 3 days ago. She has been friends with him since they were in 6th grade. They are seniors now. Or she is. My daughter is a mess, and honestly, so am I. I am trying to collect all of the photos I can find of him for his parents. This includes a lot of scrolling. Scrolling through my daughter’s old phone, her text messages. Over the years, they have texted from several devices, several numbers…in different groups…so this is labor intensive.
It is also very difficult…as you can imagine. The memories. So many memories. Memories in his home, our home, other friend’s homes. He seems happy in the photos. So does my daughter, and their friends. I know photos can be deceiving, but I like to believe there were a lot of happy times in his life, a lot of happy memories in his home. I know there were a lot in our home. They walked to our house after school while they were in middle school…his mom would come get him when she finished work. So they hung out here, ate a lot, did homework…laughed. This was the stage for many of their memories.
The bottom line is, love affairs happen…but then that love affair will become the setting of your life. And life is a precious thing. Home buying matters because you are picking your stage. Your stage to play out the life you are living. Maybe you will be a serial home buyer like me, falling in love repeatedly, changing your stage every few years. But no matter how long you stay in your home, it will be exactly that for that time…your home, your stage. Life will happen there, no matter what. So you should love your stage, so you can make the best out of this short time we have to be on stage.
And I understand the pain of selling a home too. A home that was perfect for you at one time, for one reason or another, is no longer is perfect. No matter how excited you are for your next stage to perform the next section of your life on, it is hard to leave your current stage. The holder of the memories, and the life that has been lived in that home. So as you prepare your home for its next owners, the next lives that will be performed within, say goodbye to it. As you shine it and make it sparkle to attract the new owners, know that you are taking your memories with you…so those precious events will live on in your memories, no matter where your current life performance is being held.
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