Death and Taxes
So, people hate taxes. Every year on April 15 (April 17 this year due to some holiday only celebrated in DC and the first 13 states) the IRS asks every american who earned money in the last year to fill out some paperwork so they know if they've taken enough money from you yet.
I must admit...I really don't get taxes. Sorry. Label me a dumb kid but the whole tax process is strange, confusing, and vaguely mystical to me. I feel very small when I try to comprehend what it's all about.
I understand that the government takes money from us to provide public services. I'm going to be a public school teacher someday (hopefully) and my paycheck will be coming from tax money... but I still get nervous when I look at all that official paperwork.
I filed taxes all by myself, online, in February so the IRS fairy has already visited me with my tax refund. In fact, the IRS fairy financed the computer I'm using to write this blog. So I like the IRS fairy at the moment.
But I do have this strange apprehension. Last year dad did my taxes, the year before that H&R Block did and both years my parents claimed me. This year I decided to be independent and I didn't have a difficult time filing taxes at all. It took me 15 to 20 minutes to file online, I did it myself, I got my return back about a week later and I went about my life. It was easy...too easy. Every year at tax time I worry if there's something I'm missing, something I'm forgetting, some reason why I don't dread filing taxes like it seems 90% of the country does.
I'm sure one day I'll look back and laugh at my assertion that taxes aren't all that bad, but until then I am going to bask in my ignorance.