Three Quarters of the Beatles
Three Quarters of The Beatles
My career in real estate, like life, has gone through many seasons. If you have read some of my past musings, you will know that I’m in a season where many of my long-time clients are now selling their parent’s homes, and many of them are selling their big, family houses for “empty nester” style homes. As I have always said, I realize I’m not just doing a transaction and I’m not just selling a home, but I’m helping close out a chapter of a lifetime of memories. I relate to this because I’m at a similar point. The boys are at college, Linda is enjoying and visiting Florida more and more, so I’m also considering what to do with my house full of memories.
Please indulge me while I tell a quick story. I graduated from OSU with a marketing degree. After finishing out my career in the family grocery business, I began working in real estate. At the time, real estate changed from a selling business to a marketing business. Early on, one of my first managers said to me, “Hey Paul George, you’re half the Beatles.” I thought, huh, pretty corny but it sure gives me some name recognition, so it became my brand. My website, my e-mail address and just about anything with my name on it ended with “half the Beatles”. People that knew me thought it was pretty clever, but does it help people remember me when they think about real estate? My previous broker, King Thompson, had a home show on Sundays that did a thirty second feature on my listings and the narrator would end with “Come see Paul George, half the Beatles at his open house.” That’s when “half the Beatles” began to stick. I still see people today that saw that twenty years ago and say, “You’re that half the Beatles guy.”
Linda would not let me name the boys John or Ringo, but about twelve years ago, I did get to name our labradoodle, Ringo. What turned out to be an extension of my marketing brand, Ringo became one of my best friends and one of my connections to my “family house”.
Many of you know that our relationship with our pets is so hard to verbalize. Unexplainable, but a comfort and enjoyment that is unlike any human emotion. The closest way I can explain it is that it’s like a three-year-old who only knows unconditional love and is not influenced by the outside world, just true unconditional love for you. The three-year-old grows up, then the world influences their thoughts and outlook on the rest of their lives. Pets always have the unconditional love, but it never goes away because they can’t be influenced by the outside world. They always give us unconditional love that is pure.
Many of you have seen Ringo and I walk for years around The Lakes. We would walk for three or four miles, usually off leash because he was so smart. He never ran into the road, always stopped at crosswalks and waited for my commands before proceeding. He always came back to me to be leashed when he saw other walkers. He and I had our “talks” about life and unlike most humans, he only listened. When Linda was in Florida, he slept with me knowing I needed him. Yes, Ringo was my best friend.
We lost Ringo in November. Now, a new season has begun.
Like many of you who are “changing seasons” like selling mom and dad’s house or downsizing the family home, I know I’m not “selling the house” but helping you cope with how to handle the memories.
Losing a pet is different. Humans can tell you what they are thinking, pets can only give you non-judgmental looks. If you are lucky enough to have had a loving pet, you understand the pain is unexplainable. But I’m learning to think of the positive memories and be grateful for them. I think that is how God gives us the ability to move on, cherish those memories. RIP Ringo.
