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| Here you go, Mike! |
Plans. Roger never planned too far out when it came to doing things, but we had a full day of plans for Tuesday, February 11. Driver's License stand in line, deliver the taxes to our CPA, lunch, Monuments Men, pick Emily up, Allen's. ....a very full day. A very fun day.
He also lived each day to the fullest. And he did that as well on February 10. But boy...he left behind a job that he never really did, but he really encouraged me to hurry up and finish. It was so hard to get through it too.
I pretty much isolated myself from everyone and everything from when I got up at 5:30 AM until the last paper was finished and copied at 3 PM. And I did not get a drivers license and I did not get lunch out, but I did pick up Emily, read a paper at Chick Fil A while she played, pick up Jacob and succumb to Allen's. It was a memorable day too.
I think he would be happy that I will see Mike today and get this thing done. And I better see a red cardinal or shield penny today to solidify that thought!
Trying to keep my thoughts away from the extremely time consuming and mind boggling way taxes are handled in the good old US of A, I thought about how Roger really liked doing things the simple way. I don't know if he ever would have transitioned from his go-phone. It was very stressful losing that pager (beeper we called it......"Drown that thing" we said!) Only in the rare case of a bill having to be paid to a distant city, did he cave and let me pay it online. Even when you had to pay to give a check to the Power company, he kept doing it that way. It was the local person thing, I am confident!
He was never going to give up the house phone...you never know if the power is going to go out....and that digital one never ever made him happy. Give the man a rotary dial!
It's actually a good thing that we laughed at him (a lot) about these things when he was with us. And he would laugh too. And agree. It makes it a lot easier to continue to laugh about them now. But he liked simplicity. When you hear the phrase....'travel lightly'.....he really did, well, except for all of the stuff in his car....but then, there might be an emergency and he was prepared.
I wish the IRS would travel lightly. I like God's plan. Tithe. 10%. Easiest math ever. 10% God. 10% Government. And if EVERYONE (even the most impoverished) would do that, I just bet there would be plenty for the good programs and the nonsense programs alike. And everyone would be a part of the solution that way too! But that is too simple for most people. So, we stay exhausted and confused and stressed.
Since I have not been particularly interested in things of a governmental or political nature of late, I found myself wondering what lesson Roger was going to show me through my journey with the IRS.
I think Roger's Lesson is simplicity. Don't make life more difficult than it needs to be. Find the lowest common denominator ... the shortest route... to getting something done and do it. Then spend the rest of your time with people.
Paying a person was the shortest route to bill-pay. You didn't have to think about it being lost in the inefficient mail system because you had a receipt in your hand. Ok...true enough. He never needed one single item that had a bunch of bells and whistles. More to break, more to eat up your time away from people. OK....true enough.
And he probably would have done those taxes without looking for a single receipt for deductions. He would have just paid the bigger bill, and spent the rest of the hours doing something with people. After all, I bet I saved a big whopping $25 after all that effort! So...he was probably right about that one too!
He slept little, but enjoyed people and life much. Pretty simple life plan, I suppose.
I'll try to go through life today more simply. Of course, every day I do that...I am just not very good at it. He would tell me that practice makes perfect...so I shall keep trying!
You are doing great.
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