A Rough Monday

It's been quite a day.

I had a meeting at work from 1:30- 3:30 PM.  It's a standing monthly regional management team meeting and it makes me nervous because I still don't feel well versed enough about my job here to contribute in a meaningful, intelligent way.  I hate that.  I like to know what I'm doing and I like to feel confident about my work.  Not the case at this juncture.  Even though I was anxious during the meeting, looking back after I found out all that happened during the 2 hours I was in the meeting, I was actually in ignorant bliss during that time and didn't even know it.

So, here is what happened in the 120 minutes I was in the meeting:

• I found out after the meeting that the contract we were in to buy a house here in Madison fell through.  The sellers would not come to terms on the selling price relative to the appraisal, so they moved to terminate the contract.  At this point, we have no house in Madison.
• The people who are buying our home in Columbus had said they could be flexible with the closing date since they had a house to sell and they understood our situation here in Madison.  Well, they sold their home so now they need to close on the sale of Bendelow on or before August 31.  So, in just a little over 3 weeks, we have no house in Columbus. 
• (No house in Madison + No house in Columbus = Homeless)
• The company I work for has been trying to locate a property to purchase for new program development.  The program was actually slated to be up and running on February 1. For a whole host of reasons, we are behind schedule.  At this point, we have probably lost about $300,000.00 and counting in revenue due to the delay.  We thought we had finally found a property to meet the programmatic needs.  The property has been on the market since 2006--- 4 solid years on the market.  Our investor was trying to work out the terms of the purchase when, out of the blue, another buyer came along and made a full price offer that the seller accepted.  After 4 f*cking years.  So, no home for the program.  No home for the program means we continue to lose staggering amounts of revenue every day the program development is delayed.

Do I win some kind of award for the number of real estate calamities one person can experience in a 2 hour period of time?

I keep laughing.  But it's not "it's funny" laughter.   It's "I'm delirious and I think I might have a nervous breakdown" kind of laughter.

WTF.

I have no idea what we are going to do. 

I suppose, though, in the midst of any adversity, we can find things to appreciate.  I found at least 2 today.

•  If you read this blog you know I love Nancy, the office manager at the company I work for.   (See:  An Act of Kindness;  Another Act of Kindness.)  She is such a great person.  Every day I just feel overwhelmed (in a good way) by her.  I know I'm gushing here but, for real, she has sustained me on many days since I came to Madison.  Well, I turned Nancy on to writing New Moon/Abundance checks.  I'm guessing there are a select few who read this blog who are familiar with what this is.  If you're interested, I would recommend checking out this link, which does a nice job of summarizing:  New Moon Abundance Checks.  I was so distraught after receiving all the bad real estate news,  I ended up sharing with Nancy what was going on.  She said that she noticed I had my wall calendar marked that today is the New Moon-- the day to write abundance checks.  She paused and then went on to say with sincerity that she was going to write her abundance check for me to get a house, since there isn't really anything she needs for herself right now.  As I typed that, I have tears in my eyes.  That may very well have been the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me.

• The second thing, much more trivial than the first, that I appreciated about today was my satellite radio.  I love music.  There are certain times and certain songs that I feel deep down in my soul.  I'm one of those people who will even listen to Christmas music in the summer because there are Christmas albums that I love so much, like The Temptations "Give Love At Christmas".  Or Luther Vandross belting out "O Come All Ye Faithful".  Because of my insatiable love of music, I have a satellite radio in my car and a portable satellite radio receiver that I can use either on a dock at my office or on a dock at home; an absurd number of commercial free music stations to meet my heart's desire.  Recently in my office I have been listening to Sirius station 33, which I think is The Bridge. They play some good old songs on that station.  Today I heard the song "Empty Garden (Hey, Hey Johnny)" by Elton John. Remember that song?  It was written about John Lennon after he was assassinated.  It's one of those songs that I sing along to as loud as I can, totally out of tune, but from way down deep.  And Elton John sings the hell out of that song-- so much feeling.  I do love me some Elton John.  Not his fluff pop music, but songs like "Levon" and "Harmony".  Anyhow, when I hear a song I love so much on my satellite radio, I can then go to iTunes and download the song onto my iPod.  Sure as hell beats waiting around with a cassette tape in the boom box wishing the DJ would quit talking over the song you want to record.  The point?  I love my satellite radio.  I love iTunes.  I love my iPod.  And I love Elton John's song "Empty Garden", which I have listened to about 25 times tonight.

"What happened here?  As the New York sunset disappears, I found an empty garden among the flagstones there.  Who lived here?  He must have been a gardener that cared a lot, who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop.  Now it all looks strange.  It's funny how one insect can damage so much grain.  And what's it for, this little empty garden by the brownstone door?  And in the cracks along the sidewalk, nothing grows no more.  Who lived here?  He must have been a gardener that cared a lot, who weeded out the tears and grew a good crop.  And we are so a maze.  We're crippled and we're dazed.  A gardener like that one, no one can replace." 

Maybe I don't have all those lyrics exactly right, but it still makes me want to read every John Lennon biography ever written and get a big, framed picture of him to hang on the wall.

Except, which wall would I hang it on since I'm about to be homeless?