Besides the dreaded monetary taxes that are due each year on April 15, what are the tariffs we pay in life? Sometimes I think my tariff, my lot in life, is to be a Single Everywoman to the world. Don’t laugh—think about it. I “pay” out my stories* and my support for all the single ladies (the ones who know me or read my blog, anyway) as my fee. In return I get a thank you here and there, and a feeling of community. I think that has value.
Is it something else? Is it my dancing? Live art has a distinct worth. Is it something else I’ve done that leaves a mark?
What’s the tax you pay for your existence? What do you contribute to the world? Do you give as much as you receive? Do you see your contribution as voluntary? Maybe you see it as something you owe, more of a grind.
What about those who contribute something “bad” to society? I think of the victims of last year’s Boston Marathon. Why were those people taxed more heavily? Why do any of us pay a costlier price than the next person? Perhaps it is all part of the yin/yang circle of life. Perhaps it is about chance, or being human. Maybe it’s karma. What do you think?
Clearly Tax Day has brought up a lot more than what I owe for the last calendar year. I think it’s good to consider your worth and whether you are living up to your highest potential “tax bracket” of life. I suggest we all do this often, and think about it in many terms, whether that is how much love you give, how much money you have (and what you do with it), your beauty, a piece of art…whatever is important in your world.