Who doesn’t enjoy a little levity during the holiday season?! Looks like I wrote this in 2012 about someone around Christmastime in their new HOA. I’m not sure what happened to it in the intervening years and I haven’t edited it at all (and it shows I’m sure!). I recently came across it while looking through old digital folders and figured I’d share it with you all. Enjoy!
Into their new home they soon settled down
Feeling like a king or a queen with a crown
Their new home they filled with baubles and treasure
The joy from their new life they could hardly measure
Their new home was all shiny and new
They felt as if their dreams had come true
But shortly thereafter they received in the mail
A letter from the association with an interesting tale
The letter claimed they had not installed grass
Its tone and format was littered with sass
The letter told them they had violated the CC&Rs
And even mentioned their 4 lovely cars
What had they done to awaken such ire
They felt they had only fulfilled their desire
To live in a beautiful home with a view
Now they no longer knew what to do
What was this mysterious document cited
By this new HOA, did they have the desire to fight it
Knowing no other way but to jump in
They retrieved their CC&Rs from the circular bin
And review them they did based solely on fear
Knowing their hearing date soon would be here
Page after page they turned with alarm
Believing that this document could only do harm
But soon they discovered no reason to fear
For the rules in the CC&Rs were very clear
And none of them arbitrary or harmful
But instead many of them seemed quite useful
They saw rules about parking
And small dogs a barking
There were rules about dues
But nothing about shoes
With everything spelled out so easy and bright
They knew in an instant there was no cause for fright
For this new HOA of which they just learned
Was a new page in their life newly turned
With knowledge of what was permitted and not
They again felt happy they had bought
Their dream home in this new HOA
And they no longer were afraid to stay
They responded to the letter
And made everything better
Then ran for a seat on the board
And their hearts into their duties they poured
They first tackled the tone of the letter
They had received and made it much better
It now sounded nice and remindful to owners
Who may not have known of their duties to others
They then created social committees and chairs
Because they believed that each owner had cares
About the community and their individual homes
And would do the right thing and not display garden gnomes
The HOA they once feared became a cause for celebration
And no longer a source of endless frustration
For they had conquered their fear of the unknown
And through their actions their community had grown
Such a profound effect on one community
You too can have and live with such glee
By fighting against fear and disregard
And again be happy to sit in your backyard
I hope you all have a wonderful holiday season this year and that your HOA issues are few and far between!