You can’t enjoy the ocean unless you know how to swim

I am a beach bum.

I LOVE the beach.

I guess it all goes back to my birth.  I was born in Port Jefferson, NY.  My mom was a lifeguard at the Brookhaven Township beach before I was born, and my Dad spent much of his life on beaches, until we moved to Virginia when I was 8.

As a young child, my Mom would take me to the beach A LOT.  Mainly because she worked from home, and because we lived about 30 minutes from the beach.  As soon as I could walk, my Mom got a little worried.  She got worried because as soon as I could walk, I wanted to go into the ocean. I think it was partially because my Dad would spend so much time in the water, and partially because there exists within me some inherent draw towards the waves, even to this day.

At any rate, my mom quickly figured out that I was going to get myself into trouble if I could walk into the ocean, but I couldn’t swim once I got there.  Being the good Mom that she is– as soon as she could, she signed me up for swimming lessons.

I HATED SWIMMING LESSONS.

If you ever meet my Mom, ask her about all the crazy stuff that I did, and the tantrums that I threw when I had to go to Water Babies.  I was a certified maniac when it came time for lessons.  All during the day at preschool, I would be depressed and crying, and when I finally got to Water Babies, I would literally make myself sick to avoid the pool.

Throughout the entire time, though, my Mom would always tell me, “you can’t go in the ocean unless you know how to swim.”  That was pretty much all it took.  Getting in those waves was the best motivation I could have.

As a result, I learned to swim at a very early age, and I have loved the ocean all the more, ever since.  Thanks, mom!

What the heck does the ocean have to do with the real estate industry?

Funny thing, how sometimes to get what we really want, we have to go through things we would rather avoid.  That hasn’t changed since I became an adult.  The recent controversy over the NAR MLS policies and Jay Thompson’s subsequent appointment to the MLS policy committee reminded me of why I learned to swim.

Jay and Paula did an incredible job of explaining their point of view to the MLS Policy Committee; so much so that the committee actually recommended a policy change, on the spot.

Things didn’t go so well with the NAR Board of Directors, however.  The policy change recommendation was sent back to committee through parliamentary procedure, effectively delaying any change for months.

Since that time, Jay has been appointed to the MLS Policy Committee.  Good for Jay.  Lot’s of people were congratulating Jay, and many of them were emploring him not to get sucked in, or influenced by the politics of an organization as large as NAR.

I disagree.

I think that lack of the understanding of the politics was precisely why the policy change was sent back to committee.  Not a huge failure, but something to keep in mind in the future.

Here’s the thing– we all want to swim in the cool, blue waters of the tranquil ocean of MLS information availability and transparency.  We need to remember, however, that those waters can get pretty rough as the winds of politics begin to blow.

If we really want to enjoy those waters, we better learn how to swim.