Cabin Fever

The sky is grey. The snow is grey. Where the snow and ice have receded, there is a foot of mud. It’s March in New England. I was talking to a friend the other day and we realized we were both suffering from that seasonal depression called cabin fever. Even the sweet, iconic sight of sap buckets hanging from the sugar maples, doesn’t cheer me when I’m bouncing along the rutted roads, praying that nothing breaks on my car.

I have discovered one silver lining in this overcast sky. This is a good time to do paperwork. I actually enjoyed finishing up balancing my checkbook the other day. This morning it dawned on me that this would be the perfect time to finally get my taxes done.

So, yes, I did get my checkbook balanced for the past year. I was terrified at first, just because it always terrifies me to face my financial condition. I discovered a few of the mistakes I made recording or not recording purchases throughout the year. Discovered the check I wrote to buy Christmas presents, that still hasn’t been cashed. And I discovered I had $80 more than I thought. Sweet. It usually goes in the other direction. I was reminded that even though I’m pretty vigilant about writing down the purchases I make with my checking account, I inevitably miss one here and there. That’s why I need to balance my checkbook on a regular basis, I remind myself.

Tax filing is my next challenge. I started a little business online and now I need to fill out a Schedule C, including inventory accounting. I’ve been dreading it, but it’s necessary. It’s one of those challenges I need to overcome to become a real businesswoman. When I look at it that way, I feel better about it. I sound like I’m channeling Tony Robbins. So be it.