Saturday, February 21, 2009

IMPETUS

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Sorting through the last year's paperwork for supporting tax evidence, I ran across last year's Valentine's cards, a ten-year-old check register that had escaped the search and destroy mission I did a couple of years ago and a letter responding to my Christmas letter about Lloyd's circumstances. I did find all the W-2 and 1099 forms and the 1098 forms, although I will have to call the company that holds our second mortgage again. They won't send out a 1098 unless I insist. I have a handful of thank you's from charity and the personal property statements. I'm all set to get started with my taxes, right?


Wrong. Along about October, TurboTax sent out my 2008 disc(s), which I laid aside unopened until needed. Now the TTax package lies somewhere in the flotsom that lines the floor of my computer room. Now I have to sort through the detritus: sort, shred, file and re-pile—at least until I find the discs.


Logically, the room is finite. There cannot be infinite material inside. Yet, I don't seem to be able to clear more than enough space to walk into to room for more than two days at a time. If I had more space elsewhere in the house, I would move everything out (putting it all in logical, logistical piles) install file cabinets and bookshelfs, and then herd everything back in in logical order. Oh to have Mr. Spock as my organizer.
The word of the day for February 21, 2009 is "impetus" — Pronunciation: \'im-pə-təs\
Function: noun
Etymology: Latin, assault, impetus, from impetere to attack, from in- + petere to go to, seek — more at feather
Date: 1641
1 a (1): a driving force : impulse. (2): incentive , stimulus. b: stimulation or encouragement resulting in increased activity. 2: the property possessed by a moving body in virtue of its mass and its motion —used of bodies moving suddenly or violently to indicate the origin and intensity of the motion.


Our quotation is from Frances Ellen Watkins Harper (1825–1911), U.S. suffragist and rights advocate. From her 1893 speech at the Columbian Exposition in Chicago: “Woman’s Political Future,” as quoted in Black Women in Nineteenth-Century American Life, part 3, by Bert James Loewenberg and Ruth Bogin (1976):

So close is the bond between man and woman that you can not raise one without lifting the other. The world can not move ahead without woman’s sharing in the movement, and to help give a right impetus to that movement is woman’s highest privilege.

;^)

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4 comments:

  1. That, my dear, is one of the WORST rooms I have ever seen! Believe me, living with two teen-aged boys exposed me to some awful rooms too. I would love to come help with this, good thing I am too far away right now. :) I really recommend joining www.flylady.net. They are pretty focused on selling their crap for the most part, but they do have some great ideas for bringing order out of chaos. It really does help to know where your stuff is so you don't have to spend your wonderful spare time searching for the right materials to work on.
    Just a thought....

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  2. Oh, and I LOVE the quote!

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  3. Paul is insanely unorganized. It's one of the reasons why he has the only spare bedroom to store his music equipment in. From time to time all the bill and various important papers find their way into his room. I fear I have to invest in a file cabinet and sort it all myself. Good luck with the taxes dear friend. I do hope you find the Turbo tax. (Hugs)Indigo

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  4. LOL!! That room would win a prize for the most cluttered.I pray you find what you are looking for.Good Luck searching LOL !! rather you than me Heeeeeeee.Take Care God Bless Kath xx

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Thanks for your comment. ;^)