Gayle Rich-Boxman, Broker with Vernonia Realty

Your Gateway to Fishhawk Lake!

Whether you volunteer for a local organization, become a matchmaker, social networker or do some of what I’ve done in the past (which I’ll go into in a minute) it’s all about the LOVE aspect for doing something GOOD for someone else. It’s like a good  drug, the more you do it, the better it makes you feel.

After having a successful year in real estate when many around my area were getting out of the business, I decided to say a special thank you to my clients, both sellers and buyers alike.  So, what I decided to do as sort of a Thank You/Christmas gift was to ask what charity they would like me to make a donation to and I would do it in their name.  It was absolutely delightful to see what clients felt passionate about!  I even went so far as to suggest a few of my personal favorites if they got stuck and needed guidance. I did end up with a lot of free calendars as a result! My personal favorites are organizations that help animals or the environment, the World Wildlife Organization, NRDC (Natural Resouces Defense Council) , or Family Dogs New Life Center (a no kill shelter), located in SE Portland. It felt incredibly good to show gratitude by spending a small amount of money to further a good cause and have it be to an organization that essentially heard from two people, not just one.

The Pay it Forward concept has been a favorite mantra of mine for years, ever since the Kevin Spacey movie came out. I’m of the mind that I was doing it throughout my life, but couldn’t put a “name” on it until this movie came out. Since that time, as someone whom I don’t know does some wonderful unselfish act for my benefit, or vice versa, I then make a mental note to “pay it forward”, or ask the stranger that I’ve done something for to then pay it forward to someone they don’t know.  It’s like a little bit of Christmas every day of your life! 

My other way of paying it forward is to connect people in some fashion who have a “need” of some kind that someone I know can help take care of or fulfill, or fix, you get the idea. I compiled a Resource List, based on resources that I’ve personally used, everyone from a landscaper, to a surveyor, to a roofer or even a local restaurant that has unfailingly pleased my hungry real estate clients (The Blue House in Vernonia) and I put it on my WordPress blog. I add to it regularly. It makes a world of difference for those new buyers who are looking to do some repairs (out in the middle of nowhere, on our lake in the coastal range of Oregon), knowing that they have a realtor AND a neighbor who can safely guide them to a local resource that will get the work done in a timely fashion and not charge an arm and a leg because we are so far away from Home Depot or Lowe’s! It makes the client/neighbor (as I live out here, too) breathe a sigh of relief AND it puts money back into the local economy.

One of the best things about this is that it ALL COMES BACK TO YOU. I have learned to pay attention to those little daily miracles and know that I’m bringing it back to my self because I send it out with joy and love. For example, I was driving home in the dusk, going slowly around a very curvy road, when a young, brownish deer who simply faded into the dusklike light came meandering across my path, but made it to safety on the other side and I sighed with relief that I saw it GET to safety, and no other truck was around to hurt it and I thanked the Powers That Be because that is what I consider a little miracle!

You can do many many things that are very simple and free. For example, offer to take a cart back when someone is in a parking lot, if you’re heading into the store. Holding a door for someone, saying “Bless You” to a stranger when they sneeze in your presence–all easy stuff and I gotta tell you, it surprises people and there are a zillion ways to do it. So, get out there, pick a stranger and Pay it Forward!