This entire week has been nothing but numbers, budgets, Excel sheets, charts, dollar signs, and a seemingly endless number of reports.  It was all in order to prepare for this morning’s meeting.  Honestly, it was hard work and it took all my energy.  It seems like every night I came home and just sat in front of the television until I fell asleep.  Even in my dreams, there were excel charts and budget changes.  It was frightening.  I almost started crying last night when Boy asked me a simple (really, really simple) Excel question and I could not answer him.  It was awful. 

This morning, I woke up happily – surprising? yes.  I thought I would wake up dreading my day.  But, as it so happened, I woke up better than good.  I was fantastic.  I got dressed up in meeting fashion and headed out (extremely early) for work.  My boss was already here – something that usually throws me off kilter because of its rarity.  However, it was great to see her and be able to speak with her about the meeting before it began.  She made (counting…) three large changes and thirteen (yes, thirteen) small changes to the meeting materials.  I scrambled to get it all fixed in the midst of setting up the conference room.  I even managed to run and grab the coffee well in time for the meeting to begin (9:30 a.m. meeting, thank goodness I was early)

Everyone arrived on time (a miracle, considering the weather and the terrible traffic) and we began.  It was AMAZING.  I can’t stress how wonderful it was to be there.  My boss – she just floored me (and everyone else in the room).  Concepts that are usually so boring and largely confusing were interesting and simple (without being stupid).  It took an incredible amount of intelligence and tact to explain these highly advanced accounting rules and tax laws – she did it with aplomb.  A meeting that was supposed to be an hour long presentation turned into an almost three hour conversation about our organization, its operations, and everything else that there could possibly be a question about.  Everyone was talking, everyone was involved… even me.  Even as I try to describe it; I find I can’t. 

There was financial magic in that room, somehow making what I do fun and exciting (to me and others).  This week’s hard work was so incredibly worth it.