Mini-Celebration

Please celebrate with me. I have spent the afternoon successfully getting all late fees on my mom's bills reversed. Both my parents were always very careful with credit and paying things on time. I don't know if maybe once upon a time, when they were young and foolish they got in over their heads, or if they were just the type to take their credit score very seriously, but long before I was old enough to establish credit, I was being drilled with the importance of paying things on time. And since the late fees were all because she was dead and no one had access to her accounts (yet), it is really not surprising that the companies I spoke to were willing to reverse fees.

Never the less, and just the same, after spending most of my pre-motherhood career in private banking and wealth management, I was dreading this task. Which is odd, because that also means I knew exactly what information I would need to provide and, when necessary what documentation to provide. I think it was because I knew this task could be time consuming, and I had memories of the couple of times where some customer service was having a nasty day or there was a surprise in the estate documents. (By the way, best thing you can do for your loved one, have your estate planning done, regardless of your income level.) Add to that the sheer exhaustion from grief, and I was almost paralyzed at what to do next. But I did it. And now, I can relax. Until tomorrow.

I realized that if I tackle one major task a day, I don't get so overwhelmed. Which means I can get this done. And that is worth celebrating.