Another Season Passes by Carolyn Flaherty (as first posted 4/15/2011)

As the tax season comes to a close, we have decided to recycle this blog which first appeared in April of 2011. We wish you all a lovely spring full of sunshine, hope and happiness...

Most New Englanders can relate to the awaking that public accountants, (particularly those living in New England), experience upon the passing of each tax season. For months we have been entombed in a winter hibernation necessitated by the harsh New England winter and always stalling spring; and for those of us in public accounting, also by our work. Due to shortened days and a heavy workload, for months on end, many of us drive to work in the dark and leave the office in the dark. If we are fortunate enough to have a window in our proximity; we occasionally see the sun.

In New England at least, we can feel comfortable with our pasty pallor and lack of vitamin D. As the deadline approaches we celebrate the rain and cold that clings to our area because it is much easier to concentrate when the outdoors is not calling us to come and play.

Then, the fated day arrives and a feeling like the first day of summer vacation settles upon us all. We are free. We leave the office with a smile instead of a sigh. For the first time in months we are not thinking of the piles of work waiting for us. We are not prioritizing deadlines. We can sleep. We can make plans. We can spend time with our families and savor the moments rather than think of what we “should” be doing. We see the world like someone who has just gotten a pair of glasses and looks in wonderment at the outline of individual leaves on trees rather than the familiar blur of green. All things are brighter and crisper.

We are fortunate that the date often corresponds with April vacation for our youngsters and many of us embark on much needed vacations, in search of sunshine and repose. It is also rather symbolic that as we emerge, the days have begun to lengthen, crocus and tulips are rising from their winter sleep, the Red Sox are back on the field and the world is blossoming all around. Almost as if the world around us is celebrating as well.

I myself find that the energy I have poured into the tax season is now an available resource for the rest of my life and I rapidly throw myself into spring cleaning, landscaping, and a much needed return to physical fitness. As the energy ebbs so does the arrival of summer come upon me and I come in to a routine that matches the flow of the season once again.

Most people would consider a career choice as a public accountant to be a safe and secure career choice with a great deal of potential for advancement and financial gain. All this is true. The career path can also garner a great deal of flexibility. However, I would place a large wager that no college professor or recruiting company ever advises that being a CPA will cause you to appreciate life and routine and simple freedoms the way it does each April 15th.