J's Place

Tag: love

  • I’m in a hurry and don’t know why.

    I’m in a hurry and don’t know why.

    For my Oldest.

    I can remember the first time I heard this song, released in September of 1992. I was 7.

    The memory is not super clear but I know I was with my daddy. I know It was in a truck and I know it was Alabama. One of his favorite bands. He and my mom’s song is “She and I.” I can tell you that song, line by line, without any prompts.

    The lyrics to “I’m in a hurry,” distinctly burned into my brain because it immediately reminded me of my father, he was always going. Always working. Always moving.

    When my sister and I were younger he was a Volunteer Fire Fighter. He managed a dealership and was the right hand man of the owner. He was bouncing to Chamber functions, fundraisers and putting out fires, literally and figuratively. We lived on 80-ish acres, he and my mother were maintaining that too, in their “spare time.”

    In short, this song hit close to home.

    Today, Sunday, August 30th 2026. I slept in until 7:48 AM. Early that morning, I woke up twice.

    Both times, bolted up right; startled.

    Both times, half asleep, worried about my girls and the new kitten.

    The kitten is staying in their bathroom. Did they put the toilet seat down, is the kitten going to drown in the toilet? Can the kitten even jump up on the toilet? All valid thoughts at 2:30 AM.

    Turns out, they were fine. They were safe. The kids and the kitten. So I went back to sleep.

    Church starts at 10:30 AM.

    After I watered the plants, bottle fed Mili, the 3rd name the girls have given the feline, since her rescue earlier this week; made sure the outside cats weren’t going to starve, gave the dog her new favorite chow, nourished the small humans, made a cake for a later gathering, cleaned the kitchen and got some fuel for myself, it was 9:45 AM.

    I did not do my hair, no time. I wore it up, which now required an easy/relaxed outfit, nothing fancy. I pulled on some flowy palazzo pants, ones with a stretchy waist.

    The full moon and Aunt flow had come to visit, I was bloated, hence the cake making, I never make cakes. Alas, the stretchy pants were a must. I paired the burnt orange pants with this new collared white shirt that ties really cute in the back. Accompanied with some turquoise and orange earrings, the outfit looked perfect.

    The kids were ready. I was ready. I turned off the bathroom lights, grabbed my coffee cup, took a sip and there it went, a big brown stain, down the front of my shirt.

    It was now 10:17 AM.

    I changed into another white shirt.

    My oldest lectured me like clock work “Mom, you better not spill coffee on THAT white shirt.” I stated confidently, with my shoulders back, “Oh, I wont. Let’s go girls, we are going to be late!”

    We pulled into the church parking lot at 10:28 AM.

    I put the car in park and took another sip of my coffee.

    As I took the cup from my lips, 3 large drops of hot liquid dripped down onto my chest, dark brown spots on a plain white tee, where my nipple would be.

    A small voice started singing from the passenger side. “I’m in a hurry to get things done, I’m rushin’ rushin’ till life’s no fun.”

    I looked at her and we smiled at each other. Nine years old. She knew. Just like I knew. No words had to come out.

    I put the car in reverse. We left the church parking lot. We put the windows down and turned on Alabama.

    We set out two Real Estate signs, signs that we would have rushed to put out after church, as we attempted to squeeze too much in before our scheduled play day at a dear friend’s home.

    This evening, when I asked the girls what made their heart happy today, their answer was, “little unexpected adventures you chose to take us on.”

    “All I really gotta do is live and die, I’m in a hurry and don’t know why.”

    Slow down.

    Peace- J.

  • Little lessons.

    Little lessons.

    I have a friend. I wont disclose his name due to confidentiality reasons but he is one of my closest friends. He is a vault. He lifts me up. He makes me laugh. But most of all, he surprises me with wisdom, especially given his life story. If you think you had it bad growing up, try again. 

    Today he sent me an article on gaining trust by putting yourself out there and being vulnerable enough to tell someone the “lesson,” you learned from your negative experience. Not just telling them your experience. Most people genuinely don’t care about that, but with a lesson, there is at least some kind of wisdom that you have imparted and being vulnerable makes you human, and we are all human. Well, most of us (for my alien theorists.) 

    So I thought about a simple story. A simple life lesson. One I took from church this past Sunday, ironically, from a church that I felt the need to go back to. 

    The lesson was on tithing. A lost art. For myself too. Not surprising. I would guess, if you were to take 501c3 donations over the past couple of years, non profits have NOT been as profitable, or so I have noticed. The hands that raise the paddles at live auctions are less. The starting bids called by the auctioneers deduced when no arms reach to the sky.

    It ties into what is going on right now with Buyer’s lack of disposable income to save for a home and renter’s not being able to make rent. Really, the American spending habits in general. 

    How easy it is for us to spend at a finger tap. The “in your face marketing,” after you google, “most comfortable couch,” “best wrinkle creams over 40,”…etc, you get my drift. Your social feed is FILLED. You can’t escape the incessant ads. Well, ladies and gentlemen, they work. 

    I could not pin down US specific, but globally, Capitol one shopping puts social commerce sales on Instagram a total of $42.8 billion in 2025. 

    For the US savings rate : 2026 forecasts expect the rate to fall about 0.8 percentage points to roughly 4.8% for the year, as persistent inflation, home owners insurance, utilities, housing costs and rising consumer debt eat into disposable income. While a lof of consumers saved during the pandemic area, those savings have largely run their course.*

    Previous paragraph info is from AI Claude, when asked specifically about consumer savings in 2026. 

    I will be the first to say, it is tough financially and if you tell me it is not, then take me out to dinner, baby!

    Work has been declining for Real Estate since 2023, remember, rates were around 7.5% at the end of 2023 and we have not seen more than a 1-1.5% drop since then. There are more listings, fewer buyers and a LOT MORE real estate Agents. It’s simple math and the math doesn’t math. 

    However(as my daughter like to dramatize,) one outlook that has genuinely changed my life is gratitude. I have found, that if I will wake up and immediately give gratitude to the God of my own understanding, give my worries away and know that one way or another, my girls and I will be taken care of, then my priorities also shift. 

    My priorities shift to giving, volunteering, doing for others, making an impact and providing for those in need, which then leads to a happier self, which people see and are drawn to. Which in turn, creates more business. It is the old sales adage, “people buy from people they like.” 

    Let’s not lie to ourselves, being financially stable calms a lot of tension in the soul. 

    It’s full circle. 

    Be genuinely grateful, give, support, be the love. People see the love and want to be around that and be a part of that. 

    The lesson : 

    Skip the 8th instagram skin cream that probably doesn’t work, take the $40 and give it back somewhere. Your soul and the soul of someone else, will thank you!

    Peace, 

    J. 

  • Really Local. Really good. Really Rileys.

    One of the top questions asked in the Permian Basin: “So, are you from here?” Me? No, but I call this dusty place home. Landing here in March of 2013 I told myself I would give it a year. Three days before accepting a job offer to manage a franchise in Midland, I asked God to show me ANY signs NOT to move 5 hours away. I kept my eyes wide open. Nothing appeared.

    At the time I was 27 years old, making a living in Seguin, Texas.

    Let me paint a picture for you. Tall Trees. Rivers. Green Grass. A far cry from mesquite bushes and flat surfaces. Growing up, our Uncle Andy(dad’s fraternity brother,) ran a pipe company and I can account for a couple of trips from Weatherford, where I was born and raised, to the land of big skies and pump jacks.

    If you have kids you may have watched “Inside out.” That is what my memory is like with these Interstate-20 voyages. Grasping a marble from the Fun House scene in the dimly lit pathways of my child brain. Dad worked at a dealership in Fort Worth. He was always able to get demo cars. A fun surprise coming home to a new vehicle we would get to cruise around in for a few weeks at a time.

    On one particular journey to Odessa, he chose a new white two door Acura with leather interior. I can still recall the smell.

    Mom did not go with us on this trip.

    I do not know whether is was that she needed a break or that she didn’t care for the views. I suppose it might have been both. My sister and I argued about who had shot gun. Dad reluctantly allowed us to play our cassette tape “Jaws of the Jurassic,” over and over.

    Listen at your own risk ⬆️

    A Saint, now that I think about it. No way I would allow that audible torture all the way to Sweetwater. We stayed at the Days Inn on Highway 80. In fact, I am 99% positive that is where the Fun Dome is now. On that note, unless your vice is meth and prostitution, I’d probably nix that choice for future travel. I’ll cover that in another post. Not my position on drugs and hookers; choosing to stay at the Fun Dome.

    I could not tell you what happened on that trip but I do recall a quieter ride back East with the Cars and the Traveling Wilbury’s playing while I stared out the window, from the back seat this time, observing the vast expanse of cotton fields.

    That excursion and one more, which involved a velvet portrait of a naked woman on a leopard rug, are the only two trips to Odessa I can pull from the marble jar. I know I had to be under the age of 9. I believe the last trip that involved the vulnerable woman in the painting had to be a significant Birthday for Uncle Andy.

    See rendition below. Uncle Andy, I’ll need follow up clarification on this memory please.

    Fast forward to some eighteen years later.

    I decided to make the journey out West when Seguin showed no reason to stay. West Texas was not as I remembered, well, a little bit, but the skies were far more expansive, the personalities very charming and I could see potential through the occasional haboob.

    I was fortunate to have several locals and non-locals show me around town. I now make it my mission to assist clients and friends, a lot who are new to the Permian, to find the “Best of the Best” in the Tall City and Odessa.

    My world looks a little different now, spectacularly beautiful in so many ways, yet different than I had imagined. However, I have learned through many months of counseling and other avenues of self help, my control only goes so far and pivoting in life is necessary sometimes. This Easter, after an early morning egg hunt, the girls were ecstatic to spend the day with their Grandparents and Cousins.

    Me, I got to spend Sunday afternoon with two extremely good looking brunettes.

    Two beautiful souls who are incredibly worldly.

    From a local perspective they are new to Midland. Each one is open to unique situations and most importantly they both posses sophisticated pallets.

    There was an itch that needed to be scratched and I felt it my calling to introduce them to the best Bloody Mary in the world.

    This pitcher of nourishment can be found at Riley’s Bar and Grill.

    Located at 3421 W. Wall Street, next to an old tire shop and a questionable Motel, this Midland staple gets 4.5 ⭐️’s out of 757 Google reviews. After doing a few minutes of digging, I THINK, Rileys has been in existence since 1991, if anyone can shed more light, please let me know. There is still a jukebox. Dad, I played the Travling Wilbury’s in your honor. You can buy vapes or cigarettes out of a machine. You can order a steak. You can enjoy fried catfish. You can try your hand at pool. The people watching is epic. But the #1 attraction at this local joint, hands down, is the Bloody Mary.

    The bar tender that day was Donna. Her hair was as white and fluffy as the snow we never saw fall this winter. Donna can make a superb Bloody Mary, I imagine she has been making them for eons. When I asked one of my date’s, who is a non local, for their honest feedback, his take was, “True dive bar, hole in the wall, really cool place, wish I had tried some food, Bloody Mary was great and the beer was cold,” maybe he can make that review #758.

    If you have not been to Riley’s, go.

    If you have visited, take the time to enjoy it again.

    You can check an answer off your list when asked by a local if you have experienced Rileys. Added bonus, you can sit outside, soak up some sun and your hair wont smell like cigarettes.

    2013-May.

    Carol Holloway, Boss Babe supreme and one hell of a Woman- Previous Owner of Servpro Of Midland/Odessa.

    Peace- J.