Trucker's Connection - October 2019

a townhome. It’s in a great gated community
with tons of super amenities (pools, etc). When
we first purchased, I was very surprised to
learn there was not a Facebook group already
in place for owners in the community. After all,
it’s a great way to ask questions or share info
about coming events, and so on. I thought of
starting one and then looked at the zillions of
things I already need to handle and decided
against it. After all, these must be moderated
and pretty regularly so extreme comments are
addressed or removed, no scammers are present,
etc.
But I was delighted to hear that someone
else started a group earlier this year for our
community and gladly joined. And from there,
were my eyes been opened to a lot of things
I hadn’t realized. Neighbors claiming the landscaping
wasn’t good enough, the trash should
be emptied more often, the pool chairs need to
be cleaned, the staff is rude, the owner’s desk
doesn’t do what they should, the security gate
personnel are unfriendly. And on and on. Now
this place I thought was fantastic suddenly took
on a different vibe. Had we purchased poorly?
Was this a sink hole of real estate vs the investment
we thought it would be?
But as I walked around last week, trying to
be more objective in my own assessment, I
have to say the place was sparkling. Everyone
was cordial, doing their jobs. The lawns were
mowed, the pool was pristine, the trees were
being pruned, paint was fresh. And I thought:
man, what are these other owners thinking?
Are they SEARCHING for things to complain
about? I’m sure everything isn’t perfect (what
is?) but from what I saw, it was pretty stellar.
And yet, in that group: complain, complain,
complain.
And it reminded me of the adage: Misery
loves company. One starts complaining and
others pile on and it escalates. And then it’s
even harder to be the lone voice saying: Really?
Are you really being fair in your assessment
or are you nitpicking just to nitpick?
Subtlety, I now chime in my positive
thoughts and find that others are very happy
to agree on those things. I’m learning that not
everyone agrees with those dissenters. They
do think the community is amazing and would
rather focus on the good as well as how we can
be even better than to simply point out what’s
wrong (or they think is wrong). To everyone that
will listen.
So if you find yourself in a group—in person
or online—just don’t get suckered into the
negative environment some seem to thrive on.
Life viewed positively is far better than the alternative.
We want to find the most paw-some
trucker pet!
• All entries receive a prize!
• Grand Prize winner and their pet will
be featured in a full-page TBS ad.
• Contest runs July 1 - September 30
Send your photos to:
tbsfactoring.com/callingallpaws
No purchase necessary, this contest is open to anyone in the United States of America that is over the age of 18 and
submits a completed entry and agrees to the terms and conditions as listed on tbsfactoring.com/callingallpaws. The
contest will run from July 1, 2019 to September 30, 2019. The winner will be selected by TBS Factoring Service, LLC
(“TBS”). The grand prize will have no cash value may not be redeemed for cash or exchanged.