Been a while since I updated the ole blog. And why is that, you may ask? Two words.
Tax time. Another two words.
‘Nuff said. Final two words.
Not quite.
Y’see, tax time is always stressful for me. Regular followers of my blog are familiar with my life’s motto – Words good. Numbers bad. But this tax season was stressful on two counts. First, it’s no secret I generally get behind in my accounts-keeping somewhere along the line, and by the end of the year find there’s three or four or once even five (gulp!) months to catch up on. I take it as a yearly reminder that endowing me with any semblance of mathematical aptitude in addition to all my other stellar talents and attributes would have rendered me too exceptional a being for this world, and I’d have to relocate to wherever the other demigods and goddess hang out. But this year was an extraordinary year, and not always in a good sense. I thought for sure I’d completed three or four months worth of accounting, but when I opened my book I was stunned to find not a single mark had been made in any column.
Not one.
Ooooookaaaaay….
So that was going to be a lot more work than I was expecting. In addition though, I’ve been trying to avoid stress to give my wee tummy a chance to heal. But this nasty discovery coupled with an early Easter and all its attendant preparations made stress a hard thing to dodge.
Still, it’s not all negative. In fact, I even achieved a bit of an epiphany about my life’s challenges. (I know – epiphany in Lent! How radical!)
I discovered it is the anticipation of events that stresses me out, not so much the doing of them. So once I started working on my accounts, my anxiety level decreased substantially, and I completed them in record time, which gave me more time to concentrate on the Holy Week preparations among other things. So yay me!
Our accountant is out on the other side of the county. So The Mister and I thought we would treat ourselves for all our good work and make a day of it. We’d drop off the papers at his office, then stop in at a restaurant a friend had recommended for lunch. Next we’d tour a couple of the thrift stores on the way back, again on the recommendation of some thrifty friends.
Oh! it was most excellent!
This, THIS is how I want to live! How I should live! In joy, in comfort, with good food and friendly people and lots of laughter, in peace, content with each day. My goal is to move slowly and mindfully through my day and still accomplish what I need to do. That will be a challenge, but I’ve made a start. Yesterday, Good Friday, fatigue bore down on me like a load of bricks. So I gave myself permission to sleep in, and ended up sleeping the clock around! And still the most important tasks got done today. Herein lies my healing – in listening to and cherishing this human body that Christ deemed worthy of incarnation and resurrection. In not just surviving, but opening to and celebrating life in all its wonderment, the darkness and the light, the triumphs and the failures. In showing myself mercy in my frailty.
Oh, it’s a whole big thing. I haven’t got it all figured out yet, but I think I’m on the right path. Tomorrow I will sing the Easter praises and listen to the age-old Easter message about the carpenter who left his tomb and stepped into new life.
And I’ll pray, show me how, dear Lord, show me how.
Happy Easter!
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