Waxing Poetic

October 31, 2005, 6:32 p.m.
I love my life. I have a husband I adore, the cutest little puppy in the world and work that fulfills me. I also have friends that know when I need a good kick in the butt. In the past few weeks, on numerous occasions, friends have asked me to explain the schedule I have been keeping. Apparently the work-all-hours-of-the-day and spend-all-night-doing-homework schedule that I have been keeping has a few people a little worried about my health (and my sanity).
It made me realize that I am always in survival mode. My mantra is always, “I just have to get through this week/month/year and things will be normal again.” Things are normal again – for a day or two – and then I find myself right back in the midst of an impossible schedule.
Over the past several weeks I have been working non-stop. I refuse to complain because almost all of the assignments that I am working on are articles that I really want to write for editors that I really want to write for. It seems that suddenly all of the queries I have been sending out over the past year are starting to pay off and that feels great.
It also means that I have to rethink the way that I work. I have to go from accepting any assignment that is offered to making careful decisions about which articles I commit to. It is an enviable position from a career standpoint but I find it difficult to turn down work especially when the editors offering the assignments are ones that I have been writing for – albeit for very little money – for years.
The decision to choose my assignments more carefully arose out of a conversation J and I had about goals. He confessed that his goal for the New Year was for us to spend more time together (and for me to be more relaxed during the time we spend together). It really opened my eyes to the effects that my work schedule has on my relationships.
I am grateful that J has supported me through the past three years. I would never have had the courage to freelance without his encouragement. He recognized how important it was for me to hustle at the beginning of my career in order to build a reputation and relationships that would sustain me throughout my freelancing years and he was willing to spend more than a few evenings and weekends as a veritable bachelor. I owe it to him – and to myself – to focus on nurturing the relationship that will sustain me throughout the rest of my life.
I am grateful that in the midst of spending far too many hours in front of the computer I can still recognize the blessings in my life.