A taxing situation....

I hate this time of year.  It is the tail end of winter, cold and gloomy still, and people are generally more crabby than usual.   Even winter lovers are sick of the snow and the mess and the cold, and are looking forward to the warm sun and flowers and trees budding out and the smell of new cut grass.  A lot of people are sick, germs are everywhere, and the local economy tends to be sluggish until farmers get out and start and working their fields again.  As if that weren't enough, we also have tax time looming, a time of year that makes the perkiest of people droop.

I hate tax time.  Our peronal taxes are complicated and tedious, and our prep work consists of millions of receipts that need to be recorded in the right categories, then passed on to the tax preparer, who gets paid a small fortune so we can have the privilege of paying another small fortune to the various government entities that will fritter it away on things we do not support or care about.  (And in our case, the things we support and care about tend to differ, so we can't even agree on what it is we are mad about!)  It is all so frustrating, to work so hard only to see the money evaporate.

Each year, I struggle to turn the negative into something positive, and this year has been the hardest yet.  We grumbled, we argued, we procrastinated and delayed - it has been a rough tax season in this household.  What could I possibly be grateful for in this messy piece of life?

And yet, today I am grateful for the many things that taxes pay for which enhance our quality of life in the United States.  Here are a few that are on my list.

I am grateful for public education, which got my husband and me off to a good start, and which got my children a high quality education, as well.  High quality education produces better citizens and a higher quality of life for everyone, which benefits us all.  Whatever the government does or does not do, I believe dedicated teachers will continue to advocate and work hard for the future of our children, and will continue to provide them with the foundation they need to become productive citizens.  They are not in it for the pay, they are in it for the satisfaction and joy of seeing young people learn.  And while they deserve far more than they get in return for their hard work, I am grateful for each one of them that gives their all.

I am grateful for the safe roads that crisscross this country.  My husband, a long haul truck driver, uses them every day of his working life, and for the most part, they are well maintained and allow him to earn a living.

I am grateful for the government employees who work hard with little attention, keeping the government going while big wigs argue and play games with their (and the country's) future.  It has to be difficult, and demoralizing, to have such insecurity every time the talking head changes at the top.

I am grateful for the parks and the water and the snow removal provided by my local government.  I am grateful that we have a public library, and a police department that keeps our small town safe and inviting, and who are there in times of crisis to help us in whatever way is needed.

I am grateful for the airport security, irritating as they are, for doing a tough job keeping us as safe as we can be in a dangerous world.  They are imperfect, underpaid, and under trained, but they are doing their best, and I appreciate them.

I am grateful for the National Institute of Health, which is at the leading edge of medical treatment for conditions which cause heartbreak and pain for countless families.  The health of the nation matters, and the NIH is at the forefront of medical research that will affect us all in one way or another, at some point in our lives.  We are fortunate to have such a rich resource available.

I am grateful for the National Parks, the national museums and monuments, and the amazing job that people do preserving our national history and sense of identity.  Some of them are Lone Rangers, but they do an amazing job and are quietly there if you need them.

I am grateful for the military personnel and their families who make such deep sacrifices every day on my behalf.  They deserve far more than they receive, and it is money well spent to support and uplift those families as they struggle through day to day life while loved ones are deployed around the world, or when they come home with the trauma that comes with.

There is much to disagree about where public spending is concerned, and much to make us unhappy at tax time.  We can focus on what makes us angry, but that is not uplifting, and doesn't change anything in the long run.  So today, I choose to concentrate on those things for which I am grateful.