Welcome & Introduction
Our February blog is short and sweet! It features the importance of being lazy, some information on our business consulting services, and a few DEI discussions.
What’s going on with S4SB?
The Importance of Being... Lazy?
Katherine Almy
Well, it’s going to be a short one this time, folks. It’s the eleventh hour, and I’m just sitting down to write up a few words before Charlie drops this blog in a little over 24 hours. January is always a busy month for us, and this year, we had to deal with a switch to a new payroll system. As our payroll clients know, it was pretty seamless, but it was also stressful getting it all set up. So, there hasn’t been much time to think about anything else this month, but I did find this article in the New York Times, that made me stop and think a bit:
The most valuable thing I can teach my kid is how to be lazy
So, why is it important to be lazy? As the author, Elliot Kukla, states, “I have seen the limits of the grind. I want my child to learn how to be lazy.” The word “lazy” has a lot of negative connotations. Most of us recognize the value of rest, but “lazy” implies an attempt to get away with not doing your fair share of work. But I’ve often thought that that kind of laziness is far rarer than we think. I’m not a scientist, and I haven’t done any studies, but it seems to me that most people want to be productive, we want to feel needed. We'll do anything to feel needed! I think many of our problems come from the opposite of laziness - we work too hard and burn ourselves out.
Kukla’s point is that rest and reflection might make us all more productive. Or maybe I should say, thoughtfully productive. Because if we’re all just frantically working our brains out, without thinking about why we’re doing it, we’re not only frying ourselves, we’re taking the planet and all of its inhabitants with us. It seems that the pandemic brought about a collective moment to stop and take a breath and think, “Is this really what I want to do with my life?”
The author acknowledges his privilege, as I need to here. Not all of us can easily find another job if we decide that the one we’re in is taking too great a toll on our quality of life. But I do believe, as the author seems to, that this shouldn’t be the privilege of a few. “Reclaiming our time,” he states, “is an act of sovereignty over our lives, deserved by everyone.”
So, amidst our frantically busy month, I found this article telling me to take it easy. So, I didn’t get any of your payroll returns filed by the January 31st deadline. Just kidding. Of course, we did. But I think the point is to find balance and to love what you do, and understand why you’re doing it. We do love what we do, and we’re doing it because we love the spirit of entrepreneurship. And we take time off when we need it. I think it’s a business owner’s most important skill, to know how to rest when we need to.
Business Consulting
Did you know that we also offer business consulting services? Make an appointment for one on one consultation about tax prep, business planning or business start-up. We’ve got your solution.
DEI Discussions & Community Opportunities
Anti-Vax Protesters
Charlie Maupin
I saw this floating around on Instagram and was so shocked I decided to do more research.. The title of this article is “Protestors display swastika, Star of David outside Jewish politicatian’s office to oppose vaccine rules”, by the Washington Post. To summarize the article, there was a protest in response to a bill that would require children to receive covid vaccinations to attend school. I am biased because I am team “vax” so to speak, but in my opinion this use of Nazi symbols is extremely offensive. Comparing mask and vaccine mandates (science) to a symbol of oppression is an extreme public display that was unnecessary. Here’s more on the article to read more if you are interested: https://www.washingtonpost.com/nation/2021/11/16/jeffrey-dinowitz-antisemitic-protest-vaccine/
Lack of COVID Testing Access for Homeless
Charlie Maupin
Speaking of COVID, recently the Biden administration launched free at-home COVID tests in late January for people with a residential address. To me, this is a demonstration that unhoused or homeless people have been excluded from the government’s pandemic response. Although I think it is wonderful that many Americans will now have access to free, no-wait testing, I believe there is a bigger issue with the lack of access to testing for the homeless population.
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