Sitting Behind the Eight Ball

Ugh!

Slice of Life Post for 17 March 2024

Photo by John Tyson on Unsplash.

I do not hire to have my home cleaned but I need to because my house is in serious need of deep cleaning. It looks okay on the surface, but I have way too many drawers stuffed full and some serious dusting and scrubbing that I should be doing right now. Quite frankly, I’m probably going to have to take a nap because I’m mentally drained. You see, I tried to figure out my taxes today.

Okay, so I do not literally file my taxes, but I have to prepare them just as I would my home if someone was actually hired to clean it. This morning, I combed through all of our bank statements and a pile of paperwork. We have a rental house, so we itemize expenditures such as insurance and property taxes, etc. It’s not fun. What makes matters worse, is the alarming fact that we do not make money on our rental property because we barely get any rent. One day I might write a few horror stories about owning a rental property, however, I don’t want to experience that much pain today. BTW we only have this property because we never could sell it. Now, I’m ready to give it away.

Talking about pain. Here’s a short list of things I’d rather never have to do.

  1. File taxes.
  2. Go to the courthouse for any reason.
  3. Shop (groceries, online shopping, department store shopping) I do not mind exploring antique stores or craft and art shows, but even then, I run out of patience sometimes.
  4. Clean toilets, junk drawers, and closets.
  5. Speak to automated phone systems.

Here are some things I’d love to do:

  1. Swim on a sunny day.
  2. Take a boat ride.
  3. Eat lunch with friends.
  4. Open gifts.
  5. Be entertained: books, movies, card playing, games, etc.

To celebrate my feelings today, I’ve written a skinny poem. 

A Heart's Desire

let 
me 
bask 
under
the
sun
and 
sip
a 
margarita
or
two
while
someone
else
organizes
my
life's
mess
and
files
my 
taxes
too

Barb Edler
27 March 2024


For my friend, Denise, here’s Lisa Dondlinger, a positive Hawkeye fan, playing the Hawkeye’s winning theme song. Enjoy:)

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Barb Edler
Hello, I am a retired English teacher. I live along the Mississippi River and enjoy watching birds, the river, and nature in general. Writing for me is a gateway to healing, and I love to wrestle words in hopes of capturing an emotion or image others may relate.
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8 responses to “Ugh!”

  1. Glenda Funk Avatar
    Glenda Funk

    Barb,

    I ditto that list of things I do t want to do, and I think I’ll write about one of those things for tomorrow because I had to deal w/ one of those things today. I’m not much of a swimmer, but I’d love to sit in the sun. Where is the sun anyway. Talk about a fickle ball of fire. Ken used to do our taxes, but a former colleague who is also an accountant (CPA) does them and has for years. He’s a genius at finding money for educators. He left teaching and moved to St. George, Utah (lots of sun there), but he comes up to pocatello to meet w/ clients (i.e. teachers). You might be able to take a tax write off on that property. And I love your skinny poem. That’s one of my favorite, fun forms.

    Liked by 1 person

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  2. shfruit Avatar
    shfruit

    Your skinny poem is perfect, and I am your kindred spirit in all of it.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  3. Maureen Young Ingram Avatar
    Maureen Young Ingram

    Love the skinny poem, and how it simply cries out your feelings by being just a single word on each line. I love these words especially,

    while
    someone
    else
    organizes
    my
    life’s
    mess

    It sounds like you actually did accomplish a good bit of organizing of taxes, so maybe that margarita will be in your hand very soon? I hope so!

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
  4. Rita K. Avatar
    Rita K.

    Wow! Can I ever relate to your post. For much of our life, tax day was the worst day of the year. I can’t even tell you how many times my husband rushed down to the special post office that stayed open till midnight so we got the forms mailed on time. Ugh! When the “to do” list grows with undesirable tasks, it zaps my energy. Sounds like you have the same problem. Hang in there, Barb. It will all get done and it will all get better.

    Liked by 1 person

    Reply
    1. Barb Edler Avatar
      Barb Edler

      Thanks, Rita. Now I just get to wait and see what I owe! Another ugh!

      Like

      Reply
  5. kimhaynesjohnson Avatar
    kimhaynesjohnson

    Barb, I want to dive in that pool and swim, too. I told my husband the other day I can’t imagine being in the work of tax preparation, being a CPA or trying to make numbers balance and find paperwork and all of this. Yes, I’m with you – a pool, a margarita, some sunshine, some poetry, and some sleep on some soft sheets. Nope, not taxes. 

    Liked by 1 person

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    1. Barb Edler Avatar
      Barb Edler

      Exactly!

      Like

      Reply
  6. Denise Krebs Avatar
    Denise Krebs

    Barb, I really enjoyed reading your two lists. The first list I must say are things I don’t enjoy either. As I read it, I thought, “Ugh” is right! The skinny poem is really fun and I liked reading it and hearing the rhyming two/too. Here’s to hoping you get to do a lot more of your second list. I enjoyed the Hawkeye’s Victory Polka. Thanks for sharing. Go Hawkeyes!

    Liked by 1 person

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