April Showers Bring Tax Procrastination

Posted on April 15, 2011 by joanienaz

Yes! It IS Tax Day. Not exactly a national holiday, but it might be described as a day of mourning for some. It’s raining outside, so it’s a perfect time to settle down to those forms. Now that they are online, it should be a snap, right?

When I owe our government money, I put filing my return off as long as possible. What’s the rush, anyway? But when I get money back, it can’t happen fast enough. Now that our children are grown, my husband and I made an agreement. Actually, I made an agreement and he went along with it…If I do the taxes and there is money to be gained, it’s all mine.

I have been filing our joint return for over twenty-five years, and have only made a few mistakes. Not a bad track record. Some of them were even in our favor. I’m not ready to become an accountant or tax attorney. But I do teach math…

So, to those of you who haven’t filed yet: May the Force be with you! I already received my federal refund, but I spent it on property taxes. I liked it better when I used that little something extra to buy a new camera.

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Changes

Posted on April 11, 2011 by joanienaz

Sometimes change is so slow, Rumpelstiltskin wouldn’t notice it after his long nap. Those of us who have trouble with patience find this type of change one of the greatest challenges life has to offer. We fidget and twitch our way through it, like squirmy children waiting for a holiday.

Then there is the rapid kind of change, which happens in moments. An idea is born, a tornado touches down, or the sun appears from behind a cloud. If you blink you could miss the transition. Most change doesn’t fit into either of these categories. It is somewhere in between. Our opinion about whether it is slow or quick is based on our own desires.

Some of us would prefer to have a chance to adjust to change gradually. Others like to jump right in without preamble. So the time frame of change is subject to interpretation.

However it works out, change is inevitable. I think most people can agree that as humans we prefer the kind of change that is self-determined, and not an act of government or Nature. Unless, of course, we like it!

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Jelly Beans

Posted on April 9, 2011 by joanienaz

You have a craving for jelly beans. But it IS Lent, a time for moderation, so you feel you should wait until the Easter celebration begins. But Easter is late this year, and your body knows it is time.

So you amuse yourself by exploring all of the jelly bean ads on the Internet. There are a lot. Some are gourmet, and some are discount. Some are delectable and some perhaps not. You can buy a mountain of jellybeans, and have them shipped  to your door. Home or office-which is safer, really?

There are jelly bean monsters everywhere, and they want YOUR jellybeans. And you really can’t offer just one, now can you? A few free handfuls to your family, friends, or colleagues, and even the largest bag is seriously diminished.

So what’s the solution? Be a closet jellybean eater. It’s the only way.

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April Showers?

Posted on April 5, 2011 by joanienaz

Yesterday it tried so hard to be summer that the strain took us back into winter again. Another storm is headed our way, complete with rain, hail, and snow. But the flowers really are lovely!

Someday it will be summer, and we will complain that it is too hot. We will wish for rain and even hail and snow (well maybe not snow). Those of us who can’t escape to a frigid climate will have to settle for snow cones, which doesn’t sound very good right now, but it will!

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wow

Posted on March 22, 2011 by joanienaz

I have been blogging regularly since late December, and here it is less than three months later, and what has happened? I have been derailed by a bad cold and job drama, and distracted by global catastrophe. But there is a lesson here for us all.

What has happened in Japan makes a few wrecked boats and docks along the west coast (undoubtedly serious for the owners) pale in comparison. An upper respiratory infection, while it could lead to something worse, will surely not lead to being hunted down by the military forces of a dictator. So let’s be thankful for what is going right.

Our national weather outlook is pretty wild, but we have the resources to handle it. Our administration is not doing what we want, but is stepping up in a humanitarian way. Personally, I got eight hours of sleep last night after two the night before. I see a positive trend.

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Working Without a Net

Posted on March 10, 2011 by joanienaz

The media is full of drama about states trying to balance the budget by cutting programs and services paid for by tax dollars. The money has to come from somewhere. How far can we stretch those dollars?

It seems ironic that those professions which many would never consider are those under attack, because they are “public” jobs. Public employees are already paid less than many other professions, because they are not working for profit-generating businesses. Public employees are under the scrutiny of the public as well. How many people would fight fire, protect public safety on the streets, or spend their days in a classroom with other people’s children, work for less than they could make, and all with public criticism?

So, let’s cut what benefits they have, because we can. Are you ready to put out a fire in your neighborhood, protect the property of the people next door, or teach the kids down the street? Do you value these services as much as you value a street without potholes?

How much money do you spend to go to a professional sporting event, a concert, or a movie? How about the money you spend renting a movie? Is there a reason why our society will spend money on entertainment and successful entertainers make so much money, and yet the people who provide the services that we take for granted get cut when it’s time to balance the budget?

Think about it! What values are we leaving as our legacy to the next generation?

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Life Long Learning

Posted on March 5, 2011 by joanienaz

Most of us couldn’t wait to get out of the confinement and regimentation of school, so that we could REALLY live. Now that we’re living in the adult world, it’s important to remember the joy of learning. I’m not talking about reading something because you have to, or following an established procedure that is a part of your job. Although these can be rewarding experiences, nothing is as fun as discovering something new.

Children don’t have to be forced to learn, they learn naturally, because they can’t help it. They only need to be encouraged to learn what someone else values, according to someone else’s timetable. If left to their own devices they will do incredible things. Look at the way they have embraced new technologies. I don’t even know how to text.

I learned very early in life that I could find out whatever I needed to know at the library. My father always responded to requests for information with, “Look it up.” So I did. Now I have the Internet. There is an amazing amount of information out there. All you have to do is type your topic into a search engine, and voila! It is important to filter this free info, and consider your sources.

So, look up something today, and read about it. Then tell someone you know what you have learned, and it will stay with you. Doesn’t this sound like fun?

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joie de vivre

Posted on February 27, 2011 by joanienaz

The joy of living is a concept that is well within our grasp, if we dare to reach for it. Seriously. We don’t have to go on vacation or wait until retirement to appreciate the comfort and enjoyment that is possible by merely embracing each moment of life.

On the darkest, cloudiest day, when there appears no hope of sunshine and the air is bitterly cold, children still laugh and play, people hug each other, and there is something to look forward to, if only the next moment. To greet each day with anticipation, wondering instead of dreading what will happen next, takes practice. And some attitude adjustment.

Perhaps it takes less effort to be negative. You are never disappointed if you always expect the worst. But it can be a real downer for you and anyone within reach.

So, look around you and search for something good. You won’t have to look far, and you won’t be disappointed, either. Now look again, and keep looking. What a great way to spend a day. Joie to you!

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Germ Invasion

Posted on February 24, 2011 by joanienaz

Everywhere you go, you are mobbed by sniffling, sneezing, coughing, tissue-seeking vessels of germs. You are a school teacher and it is the middle of winter. Somehow you survived the holiday season  unscathed. You were mildly sympathetic when your spouse was reduced to a miserable, feverish blob, but you kept your distance and were grateful to be symptom-free.

Now it is past mid-winter, and you are on the home stretch. If you can resist the onslaught of germs for another month, you will be out of danger. You hope.

With all the preventative and symptom-relieving products on the market these days, what’s the big deal? No one can afford to stay home for long, so we must be able to function no matter what. But which is the best remedy?

Should you load up on vitamin C? How about knocking down those symptoms when they develop, or is it too late by then? Is it true that chicken soup will cure the common cold?

You gargle, get plenty of rest, and wash your hands obsessively. Then one day when you feel on top of the world, you notice a slight tickle in your throat. You ignore it and decide to clean the house. The next morning your head is throbbing, your muscles ache, and you have a cough that not only irritates your throat, but is annoying to anyone within a five-mile radius.

You hate being sick. Too much down time. You are not one of those who can sleep it off for a couple of days. You get hyper and decide to do your taxes. Then you collapse into feverish lethargy. But at least the taxes are done.

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Runaway

Posted on February 19, 2011 by joanienaz

Who among us hasn’t considered running away at some point during their life? I remember one of my siblings packing a suitcase in a moment of childish frustration and marching down the street to the corner of the block. Too young to be allowed to cross the street alone, that was the end of that. But a statement was made, and sometimes that is all that is necessary.

It’s instinctive to either fight or flee when faced with danger, and as a pacifist, I tend to split when things get ugly. Although I am not a shirker, sometimes life overwhelms me, and I find it necessary to take a time out. Three years ago, my husband and I gave ourselves a seven week time out. We drove across the country and back. I have never been so relaxed in my entire life.

It took awhile to get there. Our journey in search of a stress-free life took time. We listened to music. We talked. We camped in a tent and ate hotdogs on a stick. We visited friends and family. We gazed upon the fertile land of this great nation. And when the weather was inclement, we found a motel.

You don’t have to drive across the country to run away from stress. Just open the door and step outside. No need to pack a bag. Breathe deep. Exhale.

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