home, sweet home

Many years ago, in 2007, I bought a condo. Finding a home in my price range that was ghetto-free and had all the important house pieces (like a roof, back doors, etc) was a daunting task. On a Saturday afternoon I looked at the house and before the evening came, I put in an offer and it was accepted. Yea for me!!! Everything went so smoothly and I was so lucky to get the deal I did.

Fast forward......

The condiminium is called Nayon Heights. I'm in a homeowner's association. For the low price of $100 a month my garbage is removed, the lawn is mowed, my cooler is turned on and off, the roof is replaced, the building is insured, etc. Sounds good, right? Right. Please read the December newsletter to the right.

The newsletter is written by the HOA president, Sylvia Lynch. Periodically, she signs the HOA board members' names as well. But....she writes them all on her own. If you don't like the way January rubs you read on...

Who writes this? I'll tell you who. A nearly 69 year old woman, who comes across as maybe kind of mean. But it's just a funny letter, right? No! Okay, it is a little. It's a little funny because it's so out of control. The newsletters have always have some sort of inappropriate comment that have been humorous for nearly 2 years. Here's the deal...it's not very funny anymore. I meant to respond in December but got side-tracked by things like happiness, family, fun, and holidays.

But then January's letter came. I opened it late on a Saturday night. What the heck? Wasting no time, I gathered my letter writing gear....a piece of junkmail for writing on and a trusty stolen pen. Maybe I rushed into it. But to prove my self-control I held the letter for several days and did one to two edits. I do not represent the epitome of writers but "at least I cared enought to comment."


After holding my letter for a few days, I finally walked it over to Sylvia's house. I felt like the better, braver person for daring to deliver my letter right to her door. She didn't answer so I put it in the door. For almost a week, the letter didn't move. I was a little nervous about what I had coming. Don't think I've never had any run-ins with Sylvia Lynch. I have.

Last night, I was outside and saw her pulling towards me in her car. I was frozen. I didn't know if I should run, cry, or get ready for a battle fight. Yikes! There was no one around to witness either my death or my triumph. Luckily, I was on the phone. In a quick 60-seconds we accomplished: introductions, justifications, rebuttals, a little coaching, and ended with a negotiation! She drove off and I was stunned! I had just agreed to help Sylvia!

So here, I announce my intentions as a committee member of the esteemed Nayon Heights Home Owners' Association. Holy cow.

Life Lesson: Pick your battles. I could have been sucked in to the committee a long time ago if I didn't have the stamina to read, without responding, to 20 insulting letters.