I fell in the mulligrubs this week. Last Friday I had to put down a dog. She’s been declining, but I thought we had more time. Isn’t that always the case?
Then I tried to do Ethan’s final tax return. He did his own taxes for the first time last year (of course) and changed his login password. After an hour of guessing, I called customer support. An annoyingly cheery robot asked questions and when I answered, pre-recorded typing sounds played before the robot responded. The robot’s solution? Log in to your account and change your password. Seriously?
I eventually did his final tax return the old-fashioned way: snail-mailed hard copies. It’s another lesson to add to the next Own Your Story talk. Someone is going to have to file your last tax return. Will they have the information they need, or will you leave them cursing the IRS and and all IRS software?
If that wasn’t enough, I killed the washing machine when I washed the dog beds.
Sitting on my porch surrounded by the guts of my washer I clicked on Craig Press Editor Jim Patterson’s column. He’s been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.
Talk about grace under pressure. His column brought me to tears and gave me hope all at the same time. We’ve been trying to get together to talk about how we can collaborate for months. Scheduling conflicts have come up every time. I wish we’d had a chance to sit down and talk. Now all I can offer are my thoughts and prayers, whatever they’re worth, to Jim as he faces this ginormous life challenge.
My week felt like a bad country song week, Jim’s editorial put my crappy week into perspective. Washing machines, taxes and pets are minor. I know that, but it’s still easy to let those things take over.
Jim, thank you for your amazing expression of grace under pressure. May your days to come be filled with joy, love, peace and heart satisfaction.
For the rest of us, myself included, chin up, buttercup! Don’t let the mulligrubs get the best of you.
By Niki Turner | [email protected]
