Yesterday, Freckles and I went for a bike ride. I rode my bike; she ran free. This is the best way I know to have her work out some of her energy. As we were riding along, we saw three deer.
I was able to stop Freckles from chasing the first two. She really wanted to go after them, but she listened. I even stopped long enough to take a picture before we continued on.
I started biking up a hill.
I don't know about you, but I'm usually more focused on making it up the hill than anything else. I was concentrating on pedaling, and Freckles ran ahead of me. I didn't think much about it because I figured the deer had already disappeared.
When I reached the top of the hill, I looked over into the wheat field. There was one of the deer, bounding through the field. Far behind it was Freckles. She wasn't just running. She was leaping through the wheat just like the deer.
Even though I was upset that she had taken off after it, I couldn't help but laugh. Watching her leap through that field was pretty funny.
Eventually she came trotting back to me. By then, too much time had passed for scolding to do any good. The moment had come and gone.
I realized that Freckles reminded me of something I see with taxpayers all the time. I was so focused on getting up that hill that I quit paying attention to what was happening around me.
Life has a way of doing that. We're focused on work. We're taking care of family. We're paying bills. We're trying to make it through another busy week.
While we're focused on all of that, something else quietly slips away. Maybe it's an IRS notice that gets set on the counter with the intention of reading it later. Maybe it's a tax return that never gets filed because life got busy. Maybe it's a balance due that keeps growing because there always seems to be something more urgent.
Most IRS problems don't happen because someone is trying to ignore the IRS. They happen because life gets in the way.
Then one day, just like I looked up and saw Freckles chasing that deer, people suddenly realize their tax problem has gotten much farther away than they ever intended.
There are warning signs along the way. If you catch them early, they're almost always easier and less expensive to fix.
If you've been meaning to deal with an IRS notice, file a missing tax return, or find out what your options are, don't keep putting it off because life is busy. The sooner you deal with it, the more options you'll usually have.
I help people every day with IRS problems, so feel free to contact me at candy@numbercruncherllc.tax or use this LINK to schedule an appointment with me.
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