In case you’ve just emerged from a ’60s-era bomb shelter with the taste of tinned food still “fresh” on your palate, allow me to reacclimate you with the calendar. Thanksgiving dinner is lurking just around the corner, like a delicious assassin ready to let loose on our waistlines, shrouded by approximately four tons of premature Christmas decorations. In addition to eating enough to be uncomfortable in our jeans until said premature holiday, this is a time to consider all we’re grateful for in the past year. As a card-carrying member of the League of SEO Superheroes freelance writers of the world, I’ve got a lot to give thanks for, especially when compared to my life a year ago.
1. Health. I experienced a spontaneous torn retina a few years ago, and after some exceptionally wince-inducing surgeries and a shockingly expensive rubber band, I was able to retain most of my vision in the affected eye. Depite a relapse scare last year, I continue to enjoy the particular brand of nausea that 3D movies bring, spend far too many hours playing Candy Crush and scold my husband for drinking straight out of the carton, thanks to my nifty on-board steroscopic vision.
2. A Total Lack of Pants. With very few exceptions, pantsless careers tend to veer into the territory of sequins and unnatural flexibility. Not so with freelance writers! If I want to rack up pay in my pajamas (or lack thereof), the only criticism I face is from the grumpy, overweight cat that’s currently helping me write by thrusting her butt in my field of vision. I work part-time in an office, you see, and casting off the business casual getup to start writing is one of the most freeing transitions I’ve ever enjoyed.
3. Money When I Need It. I balance work at several sites and keep a roster of clients besides. This means that when, say, our new puppy eats the drive mechanism of a $400 borrowed lawnmower, I can churn out a few thousand words on Nigerian fashion tips and recoup enough to replace the mower and make sure my pup is okay. In addition, my work schedule provides me enough time to research canine IQ tests and how to cope with an exceptionally weird pet.
4. Time With My Spouse. When he isn’t drinking directly out of the milk carton, Mr. WordChick is actually a pretty swell guy. He works for a busy video game sales chain, which means that around the holidays it’s pretty lonesome in casa WordChick, with only the disapproving cats and lawnmower-eating dog for company. Working for a freelance writing site like WriterAccess means that I can set my assignments down for an hour or two and hang out with him when he gets home from work. That’s a huge benefit for my sanity and our marriage, and it takes off a lot of the schedule pressure associated with a 9-to-5 office or retail job.
Whether you’re digging into Chinese take out, a loaf of glazed tofu or the traditional turkey-and-trimmings, I wish you a warm and cheerful Thanksgiving, fellow freelance writers. Here’s to another year of easygoing clients, plentiful work, and, of course, gratitude out the wazoo.
Delany M is a freelance writer available on WriterAccess, a marketplace where clients and expert writers connect for assignments.
