Five things I like about me

If you're like me, you are hard pressed to come up with five things you like about yourself but I thought I would try it just to see if I could actually do it.
1. I'm a person of my word, if I say I'm going to do something, I do it. This is an important quality to have in the real estate world.
2. I'm organized. Although if you saw my office you might wonder about that. I know where everything is in that big pile of papers on my desk, really, I do.
3. I cry at the drop of a hat. I used to see this as a weakness but the truth is, it shows that I am compassionate.
4. I love cartoons. Anyone who can enjoy a good cartoon is someone who doesn't take themselves or life too seriously. You have be able to laugh. My favorite cartoons are Bugs Bunny and the Road Runner. I also like Batman (not to laugh but because it's good versus evil and good wins every time). One of my fondest memories of my mom is of us spending a Sat. morning together stretched out across her bed watching Bugs Bunny. We were laughing up a storm. It was a special moment. Thinking about it makes me cry even now.
5. I'm a good listener. That's something I've learned to be better at over the years. One of the first long-time realtors I met when I first started told me the one thing you have to do is listen. It's hard to do because we always want to jump ahead to tell what we think, give our opinion. Listening is an art.
Can you come up with five things you like about yourself? Give it a try and share what you come up with.
In real estate news, there's continued talk about the bubble. We aren't there yet and probably won't be. But if you're worried, think about doing a few things to protect your investment (if you own a home, if you don't own one, buy one soon!). Pay down your high interest credit card debt (and don't get into any more). Greenspan and Co. will continue to raise interest rates and your credit card debt will continue to go up. Fix your house interest rate if you have an ARM or an interest only loan. If you have one of them you've noticed you've been paying more every month. That will continue so refinance now if possible. If you have a home equity line of credit use it for emergencies or to reinvest in something else. And finally, save more. How much of your money goes to savings? If you're like most folks, not much. Americans don't save much. Save at least 10% each pay period. And if you believe in the laws of the universe, you'll also give away 10% to a favorite charity. Anyway, there are so many things you can do to ensure that you and your family have a secure financial future that doesn't include eating dog food (as my financial adviser tells clients who won't follow her advice). I'll try to give you suggestions that have worked for me.
Now for the rest of the news...
Is anyone else outraged by comments last week from William Bennett? There is no context for what he said, nothing makes it right and no one should be defending it. For him to say what he said to make a point about what impact abortion would have on Social Security is just wrong. And as a former journalist, I'm so sick and tired of journalists, pretending to be objective, sounding like they had their daily briefing from the WH and are using the talking points for the day. One so-called journalist for Fox sounds like that so often these days. He should just go to work for the WH.
Anyway, I'm off to the office. Hope you enjoy the rest of your day. Remember, you can rest when you die.