Unquestionably, there is progress.
The average American now pays out twice as much in taxes
as he formerly got in wages.
[H. L. Mencken]

There are times when a person has to put aside her knitting needles and tend to other things—like doing dishes, earning a living and gathering stuff for tax preparation. I am amazed that, no matter how organized I try to be, it still takes me a lot of time to get everything together once a year for tax reporting. Also, the lump in the pit of my stomach isn’t breakfast. It it the dread of finding out how much more I owe. For me, the main drawback to being self-employed is keeping up with taxes. Every year, I try to adust my witholding so it will come out even in the end. Every year, it doesn’t.

This is the time I remind myself of the assets of being self-employed. My boss is a fuzzy little fellow who lies at my feet while I work. My office is my converted dining room where I sit surrounded by my books and assorted treasures. I’m not required to attend superfluous meetings nor am I interrupted by office politics. Every day is casual Friday although I do try to change out of my night clothes before lunch.

I’m heading out to mail a book order and pick up my finished tax forms from my accountant. This makes me feel as boyant as I do when I’ve successfully completed a big project. I just wish congress was as frugle with my money as I am.