TIKI TIME

Houses are so much more than just structures. Houses are our homes, places where we make memories with our families, places where we can express our individuality in a hundred different ways…through landscaping, the use of color inside and out, our furnishings, the flow of the floor plan, even the layout of the workshop in the garage, just to name a few.

For so many of us, our home is indeed our castle! I often think of my home as my refuge, where I can go out in my backyard and commune with God and nature. In the stillness I find comfort and peace, as well as many of the answers to the problems of the day. Our homes are where we are completely relaxed, totally ourselves. It's no wonder that buying and selling homes is such an emotional event…

I was so excited when I purchased my vacation rental house! Although it was in need of many repairs, I could see what the end result would be. I saw it transformed into a cheerful home where people would instantly feel welcome and their cares would dissolve as they stepped through the door. So I hired a general contractor and the work began. As it often happens when renovating an older home, there was more work than met the eye. Even so, the experience went well and in just a few months, renovations were nearly complete…then I noticed something.

The pool area underneath the house needed some work done to it, too. I'd been so focused on the inside that I hadn't paid attention to the pool area. By this time, several months had passed and even though it had gone well, frankly, I was ready for it to be finished. The thought of beginning another project didn't excite me, but I realized that it needed to be done. It occurred to me that this is where everyone would spend the majority of their time, so it really needed to be special.

That night as I went to bed, I thought about the pool area again. I hadn't a clue what the right touch would be. So as I fell asleep, I had this thought: 'I want a fabulous tiki bar underneath this house. I want the most FABULOUS tiki bar this beach has ever seen. I want a tiki bar so wonderful that Jimmy Buffett would film a music video here if he knew this bar existed! I don't know how to do this. This is beyond my abilities. Figure this out for me, please.

I woke up around 2:30 am. I had seen it in my dreams! Oh, it really was wonderful…the colors were so bright and the feeling was one of fun and fantasy. I'd seen the pilings underneath the house painted like palm trees, with the tops of the trees painted on the underpinning as though they were swaying in the wind. The outdoor shower was painted as an underwater scene, complete with a mermaid!

And the timing couldn't have been better! I'd just met a wonderful young artist named Dawn Gray. As Dawn and I met and discussed the work to be done, she caught the vision. She expanded on my thoughts and her input was invaluable. The final result was even better than I'd seen in my dream! If you'd like to contact Dawn, she can be reached at 757.450.0799.

PS: There are several lessons contained in this story on how to activate your intuition…

1. Allow your subconscious to work for you. Once you discover how to allow your mind the freedom to resolve your problems, you'll see results beyond your wildest imagination! Left to my own devices, I wouldn't have been able to think of something like this in oh, about a hundred years. Yet in one dream, there it was, all laid out before me in wonderful color and rich detail.

2. You will observe circumstances, people and events lining up to assist you. I had just recently met Dawn, and I'm convinced she was the perfect person for this job. It amazes me to this day just how effortless it all was, how easily it came together. When you learn to allow instead of force, you can experience similar results in all areas of your life…(even your tiki bar project!)

3. Nothing is too small for the Universe to deal with. Granted, this wasn't a life or death business decision that had to be made. But that's what really excites me! Look at the outrageous lengths the Universe will go to in answering the most simple requests! (Just imagine how beautifully, how wonderfully the Universe will come to your aid on the really important issues…)

"Subscribe to my Free Newsletter and get the Special Report, "Using Intuition in Real Estate," absolutely FREE! First Name: E-mail Address: