Writer's Bliss

October 30, 2003, 2:33 p.m.
I spent part of my morning sitting in a chilly industrial space interviewing a guy who makes custom bicycle frames. During the interview he said, “I never wanted to work 40 hours a week and go home at night thinking, ‘Is this all there is?’”

I knew exactly what he meant.

We talked at length about how blessed we feel to work at jobs that fulfill us emotionally and spiritually, and to be able pay the bills doing at the same time. Sometimes I sit in front of the computer, tapping away at the keys, pulling together sentences, talking to editors about possible projects and think, “Wow; this is really what I do for a living.”

I can take a break in the afternoon to sip tea and write in my journal. I never schedule an appointment before 10 a.m. I write outside in the summer and in front of the fire in the winter. Even when I get a rejection letter, can’t think of a single thing to write, or learn that I need to make significant revisions to a project I’m working on, I never lose sight of how fortunate I am to be doing at a job that feels more like a hobby than real work.

Writing does involve a lot of hard work; I often feel as though I’m constantly selling myself – to editors, to other writers, even to family and friends. Like any writer, I struggle with writer’s block, rejection and loneliness. No job is perfect, but I truly believe that writing is the perfect job for me.

But even a girl who loves her job needs a little time off. Right now I’m working on 10 articles that are all due in the next week. After that, I’m hoping to have an entire week to make holiday cards, repaint my office, complete some holiday knitting projects, clean out a few closets and call friends I haven’t chatted with in a while. Maybe I’ll even indulge in a massage.