The Blue House on the Corner

The first time I saw the blue house on the corner was about five years ago. I was doing Real Estate full time and was going to list another property in the same neighborhood. At the time I remember thinking how cute and charming it was. And it is.

Not too long after listing and selling the first house over there, I had clients looking to buy and we found ourselves writing an offer on a home close to the blue house on the corner. I remembered driving by it frequently and still marveling at how well-maintained the house was. Not that the other homes on the street weren't maintained. But many of the homes were a different style; most split entries. This was a quaint two-story house, with a flawless yard, plenty of well-maintained flowers and the ever-so-dreamt of white picket fence. It was what I imagine homes in the Leave it to Beaver era all looked like if I could have watched that show in color.

Behind the door I'd often picture a Harriet, with pearls strung around her neck, effortlessly keeping home, waiting for Ozzie to return from a day's work so she could hand him his paper and pipe and greet him with a warm hello-kiss on the cheek. To me, this home somehow symbolized that American Dream; the one we were sort of raised to believe in.

The home is not extravagant by any means, and definitely more simple than not. Funny thing is, I have worked for a title company, not too far from the blue house on the corner for the past few years. Much of the time I eat lunch at my desk and work right through. I used to do this so that I could take an official lunch break to do school pick-up in the afternoons. But I didn't have kids to pick up during the summer, and now that FunnyMan can drive, I don't always have school pick-up now either. Now, I look forward to actually getting "away" for lunch.

Many times for lunch, I drive over to the church behind the blue house on the corner. There are lots of trees there and plenty of shade. I can park and eat my lunch and take a nap or phone a friend, or catch up on Facebook via my phone or what have you. It's like my "spot", my thinking place, a place of solace for me.

I hadn't realized until recently that the blue house on the corner had such an impact on me. I'd drive past it every time to go to the church and I realized after about three days in a row that I would actually smile whenever I saw it. So, of course the way my brain works I had to ask myself 'why' I was smiling and at 'what' I was smiling. I knew it had something to do with the house.

It is still perhaps too enigmatic to completely put my finger on. All I know is that I love driving by the blue house on the corner. I love the way it makes me feel relaxed and like I can breathe all of a sudden. Funny thing the way the mind works sometimes and what can trigger such a psychosomatic response. Reminds me of something my counselor once told me...

She said some people are subconsciously aware that they are thinking and pondering such things. But that I am the type of person that is consciously aware that I am consciously aware that I am thinking and pondering such things. Whoa... wrap your brain around that. To analyze why you are analyzing...

A little obsessive? Maybe. But that's how I roll, baby.