To me, digging through receipts and tax papers is a form of reflection. The receipts and papers are key indicators as to how I’ve focused my time, energy, and money.
Each year, I gather receipts and papers to prepare of my parents’ tax return. In prior years, this process was a no-brainer for me. For years, my parents had pretty much been living each day like they did yesterday. Last year’s receipts and papers presented a much different picture.
There were receipts for prescriptions to calm my mom, so my dad could care for her in their home for as long as possible.
There were receipts for home daycare for my mom, who suffers from dementia, so my dad could run errands, visit with his buddy, and not have to worry about leaving my mom alone or being gone too long.
There were no receipts for lawn care, home maintenance, and repairs. There was paperwork for the sale of their home of 40 years and their move to the senior community so they could focus their time and energy on what matters.
There were receipts for ambulance and hospital stays for my dad who suffered his third stroke because he did not make caring for himself a priority.
There were receipts to move my mom to a new home she shares with other folks who also suffer from dementia and the move of my dad to a 1 bedroom apartment in independent living — all on the same campus. There were receipts for blood sugar test kits, Depends, and natural foods because my dad stopped thinking that he didn’t want to die and started thinking he wanted to live — be happy and healthy, taking care of himself, doing things he loved to do, so he could take care of mom and enjoy their time together.
There were less receipts for medications for my mom who is thriving in her new home where she feels safe and loved.
There were receipts for donations to their church and many other charities because they have always given to those less fortunate.
There were receipts from the bulk food store — for almond bark which my mom loves and my dad buys as a special treat for her.
There were receipts from the Henry Ford and Bob Evans restaurant — where my dad took his grandson who came to visit from Arizona.
There were receipts for a road trip my dad and I took to visit his grandchildren who were vacationing on the west side of the state.
There were receipts for guitar strings and art supplies — because my dad started playing his guitar and painting again.
There were receipts for the sale of my dad’s car — because my dad decided to practice “safety first!” and utilize a transportation service.
There were receipts for the cable company — because he can watch the war channel and the western channel with his buddy and record movies to watch with me on movie night — our weekend tradition.
These receipts and papers — if I just looked at them as numbers — then I’d be focusing on the “doing.” When I look at the essence, I am focused on the “being.”
I can see and celebrate the intentions we set and fulfilled; the values my dad, mom, and I embody; the obstacles we faced and overcame; the sense of purpose we restored, and how we accomplished so much more than we gave ourselves credit for. I could appreciate each moment, and the flow and process of life.
It’s my intention to make every receipt count, to make every moment count.
Do your receipts reflect your intentions for your life and work? Are you focused on what you want? Are you focused on what matters?
For more on handling life transitions, click here.
© 2013 Mary J. Lore and Managing Thought LLC All rights reserved.
Today is the first new moon since the spring equinox.
Spring is a time of transition in nature and within ourselves. Many traditions around the world mark this time as the true beginning of the year. (March was the first month of the year in the original Roman calendar – a fun fact!)
Is Groundhog Day stuck in my View-Master? What’s she talking about?
I remember when I first heard Martin Luther King, Jr.’s “I Have a Dream” speech. Even though I was a young girl, it had quite an impact on me. I didn’t blink. I got the chills. I knew I was hearing something very powerful. I remember looking forward to being an adult and being able to fully grasp what I had just heard.
It is the sweet new year for our Jewish friends and the autumn equinox. It is a time of thankfulness and farewell for what has been, a time of balance between darkness and light, and a time of maturity and coming wisdom.
It’s self-awareness month and with the recent celebration of Labor Day, I am reminded that we are a nation of laborers. White collar, blue collar, working, not working—we labor. We are busy, busy, busy, doing, doing, doing.
Having once owned a garden center and nursery and having a huge passion for gardening, I know this weekend is THE weekend to get our gardens growing. Now to me — growing gardens, growing companies, growing ourselves — it’s all the same. That’s the reason I use so many gardening analogies when I talk about developing self-awareness, self-mastery and being on purpose.
In 2002, I attended a leadership workshop. One afternoon, the facilitator asked us to reflect on what we truly wanted, what was standing in the way of achieving it, and to write a poem about it. At the time, I was in the process of documenting the Managing Thought® process and writing the workshops. Although I was very clear about my life mission, that I am doing what I am here to do, I was fearful. I had learned as a child, that if I wanted to be loved and accepted, it would serve me to keep my “out there” thoughts to myself. Now I would be sharing these “out there” thoughts with the toughest audience — CEOs– and putting it in writing–for all to see for all eternity! I cried as I got ready to conduct my first workshop. I felt like I was coming out of the closet.
