Sound Accounting, Serene Life

Post by: Lydia Salett, Accountant, Bashyam Spiro LLP

I’m fairly new to the immigration law environment but as an Accountant, handling money for a business can be stressful regardless of where you work or how the economy is doing. 

So, how do I balance all the stresses of life and work? 

I play music…

For the past couple of years I’ve been studying jazz piano at a local university and let me tell you this subject matter requires quite a bit of discipline.  But, when it’s time to perform, it’s all worth the effort.  To me, performing means providing an atmosphere of escape and serenity for others, and for myself.

When it comes to performing, there have been times when I’ve been stressed, hoping that it would not be a disaster due to my feelings of inadequacy or lack of preparation.  But, even in those situations things just have a way of working themselves out.  Jazz is the type of music that, in my opinion will always be around.  So even if I’m still able to perform at 80 years of age, it will be a genre of music that most people enjoy.

There’s nothing like inviting co-workers, during a weekday, to a restaurant where I’m performing and hearing my colleagues conversing and laughing louder than any other person in the establishment (now that’s priceless). It just lets me know that they are all de-stressing after a long and hard day at work. 

Last year, I found out Murali Bashyam, the firm’s Managing Partner, played the guitar.  I brought a CD to work and asked him if he would consider playing on a gig with me.  I only wanted him to do one song.  I mean, he once released a CD with his band, so playing guitar with me should not be so hard, right?  Well, he basically chickened out by telling me he had a lot of work to do and would not have time to practice. 

I then shifted my focus to Pam Prather, our Client Relations Manager, who’s always singing or humming a tune around the office.  Pam used to be a singer in a rock band back in the day, and is naturally gifted in the vocals department.  I am picturing her under the lights, singing jazz standards while I accompany her on the piano. 

So along with performing my daily accounting duties, I’m secretly working on a plan to get her behind a microphone. It’s one of those things that you just have to wait to see how it plays out.

Tags: accounting, bashyam spiro llp, bashyam spiro staff, day job, hobbies, immigration law, music, performing arts