Loving Monday: Facing Distasteful Realities
Taxes are due today. Los Angeles City business taxes. While the procrastinator in me wants to postpone the unpleasant task until April 15th when the Federal and State personal income taxes are due, such is not the reality I face.
In principle I can say that it is easier to face reality than to avoid it. I can also say that the earlier one can face any given reality, however distasteful, the better off one will be on a number of emotional and practical fronts.
In practice, though…
Let’s just say it’s easier to talk the talk than to walk the walk.
Distasteful realities are just that… distasteful. We want to complain about the unfairness of it all, the wastefulness, the extra work, the boring work, or the awful people involved. We want the situation to be other than it is. (At least I do.)
There is no other way to cut it. No way to make some tasks pleasant. No way to add sugar to the bitterness. No way to remove the sliver.
The key, I have found, is in learning to receive and accept reality, however distasteful. Reality is a better friend than anguish, dread, complaining, anxiety or annoyance can ever be.
Embracing our complex realities gets our responsible side to kick in and make choices. Avoiding reality gives our emotions a free reign of terror beyond the initial and otherwise healthy acknowledgement.
Most of us are better off if our responsible sides get to chair the meeting. The feelings can be verbalized and acknowledged at the meeting, but they do not get final say or a veto.
My reality today is that my city business taxes are due. That being my day, I can choose to live it kicking and screaming all day long, or I can choose to sit down and work through the forms and my records and be done with it.
One of those two paths gets through the distasteful task sooner and with less pain than the other.
On your side, (and today trying to be on my side!)
– Karl Edwards
