I have had several "Oh Crap!" moments over the years. Those times where you know in an instant that you are in trouble, screwed big time. There is no getting out of it and you realize that there will be a price to pay, a very dear price. Sometimes you were doing something in the shadows and hoping to get away with it. Keeping your fingers crossed that nobody would find out or expose your dirty secret. Other times, you are just going along and something out of nowhere bites you, and bites you real hard. While both of these categories ultimately represent big trouble, I think it is the latter of the two that can take a toll on you physically, financially, spiritually, and relationally. Well folks, I just had a major "Oh Crap!" moment and am still reeling from the blow. I received a suspicious (curiously stained) letter from the IRS (Intentional Resource Shredding). The letter was thick and dangerous looking - the kind that you know just spells trouble, spells pain. Some sensory system deep within you just goes off, sounds the alert, tells you to drop the letter and beat a path far away. Upon opening the envelope, I heard a Satanic hiss and felt an ice cold shiver run down my spine. Using a set of kitchen tongs, I extracted the contents of that envelope. A fog immediately started to take over the room. I could just make out the ghostly writing at the top of the letter, A-U-D-I-T. Oh Crap! If that wasn't bad enough, it was for the past two years.The paperwork was left with my accountant who told me that things were not looking good for me. He told me to say goodbye to loved ones and friends, and then oddly he asked me if I like the gentle lilt of a burly man's serenade. I screamed and was brought out of a horrible nightmare. I was covered with sweat, riddled with anxiety. Looking over at the night stand, however, there sat the IRS correspondence. The audit was all too real. It does look like I will be paying several thousands of dollars back to the government for deductions that my accountant should not have claimed. Should I be angry or litigious? Maybe, but that will not be my tack. I will grumble a bit and complain a bit, maybe even write a blog about it. However, the law is the law, and I must be held accountable and I must do the right thing, whether I want to or not.
