When Mamma Ain’t Happy, Ain’t No-One Happy…
I’ve gone on and on about why I’m a freelancer. The freedom, the creativity, the hunt, the kill, the good coffee, the ability to avoid razors for weeks on end, the shoes-optional office, etc. But – at the bottom of it all, I’m a freelancer because it’s the best way to serve my family, see them often and have the freedom to hang out around the house and pester everyone. The flexibility helps the family run smoothly.
So – I have come to rely on the way my family runs. We’ve got a bit of a double-whammy in that we also homeschool. 3 kids. We homeschool 3 kids. THREE. We have three kids that we are responsible for teaching. Every day. 3. THREE. III. (Sorry – I just had to say it a bunch of times, just to be able to wrap my brain around it. That, and for comedic effect.) And admittedly, my wife takes responsibility for 99.9% of all of it. And she keeps the house clean and the kids, well – somewhat clean. She’s awesome. And – she does it for FREE.
Sunday night, she started feeling horribly ill. Fever, aches, chills – flu. (and NO – NOT SWINE FLU.) She passed out early, but it was after the kids were situated for the night, so my load was minimal. I got to watch a hockey game in complete silence. Sweet.
Monday comes and she’s worse. She starts the day off normally, but midway through the morning, she essentially collapses. In bed – out. The kids were a mess, the house was a mess, I was a mess, and I had to WORK. “You can’t be sick – I’m Working.”
But thanks to the wonders of freelance, I was able to knock off a bit early, clean some stuff up, shuttle the kids around and even hit the grocery store. We went out for pizza, blew some bubbles and made it to bed on time. A good night – for everyone! My wife got to sleep and relax, and I got to hang out with the kids. A little work late at night when everyone was passed out, and I toddled off to bed.
Today, she’s feeling a bit better, so I get to do a little blogging and a little work. I’m still helping out, but it’s incredible how much my wife at 50% gets done compared to me at 100%.
And it made me think 2 things:
- How absolutely incredible and beautiful and cool freelancing is. I get to do what I love, on my terms (for the most part,) when I want to and where I want to. And – when I need a half a day off, I get it. I think a lot of us take for granted the gift we’ve been given by being able to freelance. It’s pretty stressful, and you certainly can’t loaf around like some folks think – but it’s pretty awesome. Can’t think of a better way to make a living. If you’re making a good living, it’s downright wonderful. And if you’re just starting out and struggling – look at what you’re struggling for. It’s worth starving, struggling and working for…
- My wife kicks ass, and if she gets sick too much, I’m BONED!
Get better, B – we need you!
