Three things can be said to define my life for at least the last two or three decades. Those things are business and accounting, tai qi (chi) and exercise, and dogs.

Business and Accounting

I entered accounting shortly after completing the requirements for a Masters of Business Administration (MBA) in 1994. I passed the CPA exam in 1995 and became a CPA in 1996. In 1999, I started out on my own.

About 60% of my time in accounting has been helping small businesses survive, grow and comply with the various regulations and taxing authorities in their geographic areas of operation. Many of these small businesses include contractors and other service providers with some manufacturers and distributors.

The balance of my time in accounting has been with Individuals and Estates and Trusts and planning, including financial planning, and some academic teaching. I have also spent time helping elder taxpayers providing guidance and planning entering and during retirement.

With society becoming more and more mobile and technology advancing as it does, there has been a significant increase in providing accounting services with little face-to-face meetings and large amounts of electronic communication. There also seems to be a trend toward multi-state and multi-national issues. My involvement in such issues has increased dramatically over the last ten years.

Tai Qi

First please accept I understand the spelling "tai qi" is not the most accepted transliteration. It is the one I prefer. I question if there is a difference between the qi in tai qi and the qi in qi gong. Qi gong (gung) is the common accepted transliteration for this term.

With that said, prior to accounting was tai qi. Growing up in the US watching Kung Fu on television, I always had an interest in tai qi. It was not until I suffered an injury in an auto accident that I found the time to study tai qi.

The auto accident occurred just about a year before I entered the MBA program. The stress from the program particularly around exam time and the injury from the auto accident pretty much disabled use of my right arm with limited use of my left arm. In addition, there was often pain and spasms involved resulting in me rolling on the floor.

It took about six months for me to start to see any benefits from studying tai qi. After those six months, I knew tai qi was going to keep me from the surgery I was told was inevitable as a result of the auto accident.

Tai qi became and remains a lifestyle. This lifestyle although still rooted with tai qi has evolved to include other martial arts and exercise programs as well as some healing arts and dietary practices.

Dogs

Dogs were a significant part of my life before accounting and tai qi. When I entered adulthood I had a young dog in tow. In the past thirty plus years since, there has been a total of maybe three years wherein at least one dog did not reside with me.

In addition to providing housing for various dogs, both temporary and permanent, I have spent countless hours with several non-profit organizations that take care of dogs and other animals.

Also, as much as I probably should not admit to it, for the past two decades, I have spent on average at least an hour per day in a dog park. There have been and continue to be many countless hours of laughter and spiritual peace derived from observing and interacting with the dogs.

I think it could easily be stated that over the past three decades plus, I have spent on average four hours per day on some dog related activity. In all that time and the thousands of dogs that I have physically touched, I continue to be amazed I have only suffered one non-playful bite.

Close

There are other aspects of my life, like gardening and cycling, but accounting, tai qi and dogs can easily be said to be definitive for at least the last twenty to thirty plus years.