My Hawaiian Vacation

Time honored: separate papers into piles on the floor.

Throughout his life Dad was disciplined and organized. It took four of us kids to take over his various responsibilities, i.e., running his business, managing his personal finances, and making sure Mom has her needs met.

The information is scattered across different households, and I have to put it all together to do the tax return. There's a problem, however.

Obsessive long-dormant accounting predilections have reared their head. If I were just focused on the task, I'd extract the needed information--e.g., medical expenses from a personal checkbook--and leave everything as is.

But the accounts haven't been reconciled! The invoices haven't been categorized!

If I shoved all the papers into a box, no one would notice. But I would know.

This "vacation" isn't turning out the way I had hoped.