Good morning :)
As I put words to paper this morning, today makes post #164. There is nothing particular about this number as a milestone other than that, I have done what I'm doing now for 164 Fridays/weeks. It is the single longest and most disciplined thing I have ever done...
On occasion I will re-read old posts from back in the day. As time has evolved I've been able to look back on things as if it were a diary of thoughts while also being able to read my creative growth. With these 164 posts I have been able to sharpen my thoughts and my ability to tell stories. One of the things I like to sell myself on when trying to serve my listing clients is the emotion and storytelling I put behind the details of their homes.
I'm very happy to report that we have sold a number of houses simply based on the story that I told within those 800 characters. I believe it's been these ritualistic Friday exercises that has made better.
When I'm teaching new agents the ropes of real estate, or the people on our team, I talk about the power of story.. the why and the how's behind it. I'll get calls saying "so I put on my Josh hat and got a little creative" hahah "please check it out when can you and let me know your thoughts"... it is so, so damn flattering when that happens... <3
Throughout this time I have had a number of people tell me I should write a book, or tell me how gifted of a writer I am. Looking inward, I know I can put thoughts down on paper, but never would I have gathered the unique spot people have metaphorically knighted me with. I'm still at times taken back by the unprovoked feedback. It makes my heart smile to my soul.. but inside I still feel quite normal. <3
Up until last night I knew what I was going to talk about this morning.. but then in Avin style, in a flash of a moment's notice, he changed my whole game plan..
Ironically, this is much like how we named Avin, Avin....
Small back story:
For like 7.5 months of his incubated life we were going to name Avin, Gavin. I had a buddy I worked with who was so freaking awesome, his name was Kevin... as time would go on I would slip and call him K"Avin"... Kavin... when Chas and I got pregnant, we decided on Gavin. Then one night, BS'ing with my Mom, Chas was commenting on my neighbors kids name, Aiden....(this was before the name was cool).. she was poking at my brothers name "Hayden"... Hayden & Aiden...
Chas said, in a playful, yeah, hahaha like way... "yeah, that'd be like dropping off the G of Gavin and naming him Avin"... like telling a really bad joke at a kids party... shit got quiet right after... In a single-asshole-comment-flash-of-a moment, after already knowing and calling him Gavin for months, we renamed him Avin.
So... last night I already knew today's email... and as the universe would have it, Avin changed my mind, again.
Avin was tasked with writing a short scary story for his English class. When he said he was finished we asked that he email it to us to proof his work.. much like any kids work, you as the parent need to check and see if it's done halfassly or not. So, he emailed it to us.
When Avin was in 5-6/7th grade or so, he struggled greatly with all things school. He had the right thoughts, but shit didn't connect with him. In almost every subject he struggled greatly. He could always spell, damn he could spell.. but fat chance of him being able to ascertain anything. Anything he would read would get lost in mental digestion and it'd be a flop of recall.. let alone being able to write effectively. Today he's better, but things don't come easy to him still.
So.. last night, outside, with Chas, [dude, I'm getting chills as I recall this]... I crack open my email and start reading quietly to myself... and holy shit man! within a few sentences I stopped dead in my tracks, started over and read it aloud to Chas..
We've all seen movies before where people are listening to a demo tape, next, next, next... then BAM! in the first few rifts you know it when you hear it.. I believe it's been the 164 consecutive efforts of showing up on these Fridays that lead me to hear what I heard..
This feels like the way a parent would show off an amazing catch or play their child did that won the game... For me, as his Dad, a practicing story teller, this is that moment. I was chill-bound start to finish as I read allowed to Chas... I had no clue how sharp his pen was. As I was complimenting and praising him afterwards, he couldn't see it cause it was dark, but I had tears in my eyes. I was that moved.
Below, no parental corrections other than having suggested (before I read it) that he put break it up in paragraphs so it can be digested better...
a direct copy and paste...
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Night Dreams:
I didn’t want my parents to leave home this late during the day, but I knew I couldn’t go with them. I just don’t like being in the house by myself during this time in the day, it gets too quiet and eerie. It’s so quiet it’s like you can hear neighbor gatherings or community gatherings couple of streets up it’s so quiet in the house. The chilling silence makes you feel like someone is behind you watching you from the corner room slowly creeping up to you like a pouncing lion slowly getting closer and closer to the antelope to attack. All you can do is look behind and there is nothing there but then only wonder what could be creeping from the front side hoping that you can see in the corner of your eye that you see something coming towards you. As you check both sides the faster your adrenaline goes all through your body like it’s going the speed of light, and you can feel the anxiety in your head ready to blow like St. Hellens ready to blow at any second.
So you start to walk faster and faster and just hope that whatever energy/presence is following, you get away from. silence and calms you down. Allows an activity to do to keep you company. But when you pick up the remote, you hear a noise come from the other room that wasn’t habitual. Doesn’t sound physiologically normal in a humanly manner. You can feel your pores opening, wiping your face filled with sweat with a lightheaded feeling that is nauseatingly uncomfortable. That feels like a fever of 105 or higher because you can feel a presence or a different energy that doesn’t feel good. You take a few steps closer to the noise slowly feeling the numbness and suddenly feeling cold which only makes the adrenaline rush faster and on the side is the feeling of every beat of your heart. And the more steps you take the more the brain paints pictures in your head which makes you feel like you're actually seeing things which only makes everything worse.
As the feeling gets heavier and heavier, you're taking more steps but almost uncontrollable. And as the trance gets deeper it feels like as the sound occurred the time goes by so much faster. Closer and closer you get. You hear a different sound but it’s in the same room, and you visually see something fall and you start to tremble knowing you’re not alone but it’s not a good feeling. You start to break down. Your Fight or Flight kicks in. You take deep breaths and you walk confidently in the room and as you are walking you see an unfamiliar sight. A person. But not a normal person it looks like a person but it was glowing and walking at a slow pace, almost eerie. But you still feel confident then you rush into the room. “Where is it?” “How is it gone?” “Come out right now I’m not scared!” “Show yourself!” You feel a tap on your shoulder, everything freezes, you stop everything in your tracks, your eyes pop out of your face, having memories of having fun with other people enjoying yourself, the best memories you have and they're all rushing through your head all at once but all in a second. You hear what is a little girl laughing and you feel all your hairs standup. You turn around and all you see is a little girl. The second you turn you feel a cold static feel everywhere your hands feel like they are about to get stung from a static encounter. The little girl is smiling and tilted her head but it’s not a normal sight. It tilted where it wouldn’t be possible to survive If it was a normal human attempting it. Her eyes go from normal Blue eyes to all white and the more she tilts her head the darker her eyes get. White to complete Black eyes in moments. The little girl screams but it’s not normal. It doesn’t sound like a human. She floats in the air as she's screaming. You feel petrified but it feels like your brain can’t scream in fear but you feel numb you can’t think. Everything feels like it’s going a million miles an hour you get into a trance you feel like someone is talking to you but you start getting flashbacks of your bad life experiences.
Then all of a sudden, everything goes dark, everything shuts down in seconds you pass out. Everything in your body is numb when your body hits the ground the part that hits you just feels a vibration in your body there's no feeling just vibration and you feel your head throb constantly like as if your heart is in your head you don’t feel a normal heartbeat in your chest. It feels like nothing. It feels like the World has just stopped everything isn’t normal. You feel your arms move uncontrollably. It feels like there going in and out like your top arm muscles are creating a hole on the top of your arm going in, out, in, out. Then you wake up in your bed, it was a dream! But there's one problem, your loved ones just saw you have a real life seizure. You feel fine, but everyone is staring at you asking you “Are you okay?!” “What just happened?!” you blink a few times and you notice there's something wrong. It's your worst nightmare that will stick with you for the rest of your life.
END
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So good!!!
I hope he keeps at it and polishes his gift even more over time.
I can't think of a better, creepier, night dream picture... eesh!! :)
The difficult read for Chas and I was the twist at the end. A little over a year ago Avin did have a seizure. When this happened we didn't talk about it publically. He was hospitalized for more than a day when this happened. The crazier thing is that Chas and I watched him get out of the car, fade to black, stumble backwards, collide into the car and slide down... then proceed to shake and convulse while half eyed open.. As a parent it was the scariest thing we had ever seen. Thankfully the doctors said that it was likely dehydration. Doesn't mean we didn't keep a pulse on what happened moving forward. After we read his story we called him outside to talk about it. Since there was a real element to his story, we were compelled to ask and make sure he wasn't some kind of closet witch with the creepy ass girl comment. HAHAH! I will keep this week's post for next week, it'll be ok. But it was important that I share with you an incredible story written by Mr Avin himself. It was nice to share the podium with him :) Thanks so much for giving us, and him, your time. Chas and I are here if you need anything :) Stay safe, happy, and grateful :)
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