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Dec. 19, 2006 - Here She Is - Miss Minnesota

Greetings to Phoenix from the (not so) cold Northland . . . the soon to be former home of Ford Ranger trucks! In case you’ve noticed the swap in pictures above, you’ve come to Jonathan’s blog on the first annual real estate Yankee Blog Swap and I’m your hostess for the day! Jonathan, for some unknown reason, thought a visit to the Twin Cities of Minnesota would be briskly refreshing, although this month of December has had moderate temperatures in the 40’s and 50’s so he needn’t bring his parka yet! Snow, the reward for living in Minnesota, has become an elusive commodity this year!

Our Yankee Blog Swap rules say we’re supposed to make this real estate related so let’s give it a try!

During holiday time emotions often run high. The anticipation of fun and festivity is balanced by life responsibilities. We have too much to do in too little time. We don’t sleep for ruminating over what we need to do. We have to relate to family that we may, or may not, like. Many times we have to pack and travel. We have to clean our house and keep it clean for visiting guests.

Hmmm. I thought I was describing the holiday season, but it sounds more like a description of moving!

There’s no doubt about why moving and holidays are similar. The starter list:

Too much to do in too little time
Relating to family or friends while under stress
Packing (does anyone like it?)
Sleeplessness because we’re worried about the “list” that needs to be done
Keeping the house clean for that drop-in visitor (showings)
The chaos of many things added to an already busy schedule

To the above emotional stress add a smattering from the list below and you have a sure recipe for challenge:

Worry over the financing of the new house
Job or work status disruption
Change in all support services, i.e., utilities, medical, schools, churches, etc.
Distance from family and/or friends
Lack of offers on the current home
Anticipation of new family status
. . . add your particular stressor to the list

We don’t often hear of suicides related to selling and buying a home, but moving is in the top ten list of emotional stressors. The filter down effect from moving can cause family disruptions even later. Holidays, especially Christmas, are in the top ten list for stressful emotional times as well.

To lessen the trauma of moving and of holiday stress as well, consider two important factors:

1. Time – Accept the fact that sometimes everything can’t be done. What can you eliminate to reduce the drain on limited time resources? Will writing a “to do” list help you not to ruminate over the list at night? Can the list be prioritized with the “must do” things taking precedence over the “want to do”? Will a hard look at the “want to do” list allow some items to be eliminated or postponed to a later time? Is there time to schedule a cup of coffee or eggnog in front of the tree between tasks? Can any tasks be delegated or even hired out?

2. Finances – Worrying about whether a house will sell or not, or whether you will qualify for a loan or not, only hurts the worrier. Take the task in hand and do it the best that you can, and then let the professionals complete the process. Worrying will not expedite the progress one iota, it only contributes to high blood pressure and ulcers!

To reduce financial stress for the holidays, consider smaller gifts combined with a refocus on the thought behind the gift. Consider drawing names or doing a Yankee Swap with each person bringing a generic gift within a price range. The Yankee Swap allows surprise guests to participate in your holiday gift exchange as well. Other solutions include gathering for a Christmas brunch and donating what would have been gift exchange money to a local charity. One family might choose to exchange home make food items or “gift certificates” for household chores. Your family can come up with creative solutions that work for you.

The key to reducing the stress of the holidays and of moving is to examine the problem to find baby steps toward a solution. Breaking the huge task of moving into a list of smaller tasks makes the move manageable. Choosing to take responsibility for what you can do, and delegate what you cannot, will help lighten the load. Take a minute. Put your feet up, breathe deeply, and enjoy this great adventure of the holidays or of moving. Stress or no stress, smooth sailing or not, memories will be made. Moving is a momentous time as are the holidays. Relish the moment, enjoy the process, and let go of enough to relax and move forward!

• 10 Comments • Permanent Link
View more entries tagged with: Yankee Blog Swap, Minnesota, Real Estate

Dec. 19, 2006 - re: Here She Is - Miss Minnesota

Posted by Christine

Bonnie - I think Woohoo Jonathon is ready for the Polar Bear Club. What do you think??

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Dec. 19, 2006 - re: Here She Is - Miss Minnesota

Posted by Jay Thompson

As a fellow resident of the Great City of Phoenix (or at least a suburb) I can say with almost definite certainty that Jonathon is NOT ready to join the Polar Bear Club. There's a reason we endure the summers here -- it's for the winters.

Great post Bonnie!

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Dec. 19, 2006 - re: Here She Is - Miss Minnesota

Posted by Bonnie Erickson

There's a reason we endure the winters in Minnesota, too! They're usually fun, but the summers are sooooo nice! Water sports, anyone? Water skiing, fishing, swimming, diving, scuba diving, sailing, cruising in boats (even on the ol' Mississippi)! We even enjoy our parks in the summer!

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Dec. 19, 2006 - re: Here She Is - Miss Minnesota

Posted by teresa boardman

I love the picture of the two of you and your dogs. Very cute and clever too!

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Dec. 19, 2006 - re: Here She Is - Miss Minnesota

Posted by Geno Petro

Hey Bonnie, how do eat an elephant?.........One bite at a time! (the animal kingdom's version of baby steps)

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Dec. 19, 2006 - re: Here She Is - Miss Minnesota

Posted by REBlogGirl

The dog thing is too much. Very funny.

I also think it was a great reminder to people moving during the holiday season to relax and leave the stress behind. Great post.

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