One thing I enjoy about working in Real Estate is finding the hidden gems of life that lurk in each home and sometimes, in backyards. Take, for example, this sign. I came upon it not long ago while showing yet another foreclosed house.
If you can’t read the sign, it says, “Bridge to London.”
When I saw the sign, it made me smile because I could see in my mind a father and his daughter in the garage cutting out the sign or maybe a mom taking her to Hobby Lobby or Lowes to find a precut piece of wood that work for the entry sign that the kiddo wanted just in that spot.
And I could picture them in the garage or maybe in the kitchen, painting the background color and then making the star. And then maybe carefully painting the lettering so it looked “just right.”
And then I thought about all the fun afternoons that little girl must have spent on her bridge to London. What adventures did they take? Who did they meet? What did they imagine?
I suppose the coolest thing about this little sign is that it reminded me of some of the safe places I used to play when I was a child growing up in Tulsa. Oh the adventures my friends and I had riding our bikes to TG&Y, hanging out at the creek, playing with our Tonka toy bulldozers and dump trucks in my backyard and spending time in the little red fort.
Of course, we all know that time marches forward and nothing ever stays the same. And we know the pain of foreclosure and the mess our housing market is in.
To a child I suppose that the foreclosure process simply means “we are moving.” I hope it doesn’t mean little ears listening in to a parent on the telephone begging for more time or eyes peeking around the corner and seeing a mom in tears or parents going at each other as the stress tears them apart.
I suppose we won’t know for 20 years or so what this particular period of our history has done and meant to those who are the children of today.
One thing that we can take comfort in is that children are resilient. And they are usually way more flexible than adults.
But as we are out showing houses that once were homes, let us remember that the innocent spirit of a child can also be crushed and ruined if we aren’t careful.
The next time you’re out showing houses and the people you are with have kids, be sure to bend down on your knee, give them a high five and ask them their name.
Not only will you light up their day, but you’ll be surprised what it does for your insides!
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