If my life were a book and I were the author...

 February 17, 2022

Amy Purdy - Double Amputee

So, here we are in real estate and in the middle of a reconstruction project and you may ask, "Why does he have a picture of a running woman with no feet as the headline picture? What does this have to do with Thunder Mountain?" Those are both appropriate questions, of which I will answer very soon. But first, Amy Purdy was 19 years old when she suffered from something known as "bacterial meningitis". And, this blood disease has a survival rate of 2%. 2%! With those odds... I am not sure what. But, those are amazing odds. 

Now, before we jump into Thunder Mountain, which is going through a transformation, I wanted to share a little more about Amy. After her surgery to remove her legs 10" below her knew, she ran into another health issue - kidneys failing. In fact, it was so bad that she needed to have a kidney transplant or be on dialysis the rest of her life. Her dad was a perfect match and donated his kidney. She said her dad gave her life - twice!

Amy Purdy Snowboarding

It doesn't stop there! She goes on to snowboard, act, dance.. whatever she set her mind to. She goes and bronzes in the 2014 Paralympics in SNOWBOARDING. Silvers in 2018 Paralympics. And, makes it to the finals in Dancing with the Stars. (DWTS was something I had heard about before but have never seen.) She said the biggest decision she has to make when she travels is not what to wear, but what legs to bring. Decisions! 

To find out more you can go google Amy Purdy, check out her TedX talk, or better yet? Go read her book "on my own two feet."

That brings the story back to Thunder Mountain. Well, not all the way back. But back to me anyway. In her book she used a line that struck me as remarkable. In fact, it has been in my thoughts and actions over the last few days. What was this line she used? It was this, "If my life were a book and I were the author, how would I want my story to go?" Well, this conjured up all kinds of thoughts. It has been sheer motivation for sure. 

My Bike Ride

So, if my life were a book there are many things I would leave out. Like the time I let one loose in Home Depot. You know, one of those strong silent ones? Yeah. I was in the electrical aisle. A woman walks near and scrunches her nose and puts her hand to her face covering her nose. I kept looking forward at the electrical items on the shelf and deadpanned, "Yeah. You would think we were in the plumbing aisle..." She laughed out loud. Yeah, I would leave that out. Too unflattering. To be true, I am not sure anyone would even want to read my life...er, book. They would think, "Well, that was boring." and move on. 

Don't let my mom see this...

But wait! There's more! You see, what I am getting at is, it isn't really about that. What is it about? It's about Doing something beyond yourself. Leaving an imprint somewhere. We don't have to go as far as Steve Jobs and wonder about how we can "dent the universe". We can, however, create something we are not ashamed of. And, if there are things we are ashamed of or need to address, there is still time. Do it now. We can then look back and at least say we did our best...from this day forward. 

Kitchen View from Bathroom

Let's look at Thunder Mountain. We have been making tremendous progress. We may not be denting the universe. We are, however, impacting the little city of Sierra Vista. And, it's exciting! In a few spots we seemed to have had ... a lull in the action, lack of reporting from the field and a drop in occupancy. Nate took it upon himself to address each item directly. And, we have action again. In fact, the last time I was down there I saw over a dozen workers there from electricians, to construction workers, to property staff, to some individuals taking some of the items we are donating to the local veteran program; things like lamps, beds and mini-fridges. They will be put to good use!

Biggest news at the property? We have moved the access of the water supply to the hydrant on our property and we don't have to work with the insane process we did with tapping into the one closer to the building. Although it is further away, there are no easements, access agreements, water agreements or third party hullabaloo to deal with. It will be best for everyone involved. 

Window Drywall

Drywall is going up! In many of the units in the first phase we have drywall being hung around the windows and in the kitchens. this is huge! Before we can tape and mud and paint, however, we need to wait until after the sprinkler system is pressure tested. Then if it doesn't pass we can easily, or more easily, remove any drywall to access the water lines. 

Getting Organized

The updated electrical is being run and being set up in the electrical panels. It's awesome to see work done by people who take pride in it. See how organized it is?

Clean Work!

And, a few more doorways are being blasted through the block walls to make the two motel units into one 1-bedroom unit. Rooms are being framed. Drywall is being hung. Sprinkler system is about done on the second floor. 

Yeah, that is how we like our Thunder Mountain story to go. 

So, if your life were a book and you were the author, how would you want your story to go?

And that is my book...I mean, our project from my corner of the globe ~Bruce