The Audit

It all started when I was shredding old papers, including out-of-date taxes. I admit that I try to do too many things and once and may have been a little distracted during the shredding process, since I was also rearranging the files in the filing cabinet, cleaning out the closet in the den and having a conversation with my father at the same time. It was near the end of last year, and I had set an appointment to go to my CPA to get a preliminary look at our 2007 taxes. When I went to the filing cabinet to get the 2006 taxes to take along…they, along with every year but 2005, were missing! You can only imagine my panic as I thought back to the evil shredding day. Could I possibly have been so distracted in my multi-tasking that I shredded them all by mistake? The next thought to cross my mind was, “Oh no. Please don’t let me get audited.” As soon as I had the thought, I knew I needed to get it out of my mind or all I would do is draw that nasty reality to myself, but I just couldn’t stop thinking how horrible it would be to get audited on tax records I couldn’t find — or even worse, may have shredded! Sure enough — one month later I got notified I was being audited for 2006, and those papers were at large. I panicked, cried, screamed, and said some words that I didn’t even know I knew. Time passed and the tears subsided. That’s when I went on my mission to find the dang dawg things. There is no way I’m a bad multi-tasker. I’m too practiced at it. However, I am also practiced at being distracted — and am a little too good at that. Turns out I had put all the tax records, except for 2005, into a separate file box. I didn’t put the 2005 records in there because they were in a legal size folder and it was too long to fit!!! I barely remember doing any of this, but what a relief! Now I have my records and just have to prove to the government that I did nothing wrong. I wonder how that will go?? I think I’ll forego multi-tasking when I put together my response.