Last weekend I was outside doing some yardwork, and two neighborhood elementary schoolgirls were doing laps through the cul de sac. First, they came buzzing through on scooters. Then, a couple of circles around on bikes. Next came rollerblades. Then once again, with one of them on a bike, towing the other (somewhat perilously, with a bungee cord) on old-fashioned rollerskates. Every time through, they waved and said “hi,” like they hadn’t seen me in hours.
It was wonderful, keeping me entertained as I was digging in the pipes for our drip irrigation system and winter flowers, and cursing under my breath at the number of tree roots I had to hack out with an ax.
A bit later, they once again appeared, this time in the treehouse in the yard adjacent to ours. They waved again, and I said, “Gee, you guys have been BUSY today, haven’t you?”
They giggled. “We haven’t been busy!” they said.
It was a comment that stopped me in my tracks. Several hours’ worth of activity that would have put an adult on the couch for the rest of the afternoon, and they were scrambling around in a tree simply plotting what to do next. They didn’t think they were being busy at all.
Now, I’m not going to claim that a freelancer can attack every task with youthful and limitless exuberance. (You’d probably be institutionalized.) Sure, plenty of the things we end up doing are pure drudgery, as Anne Wayman pointed out in her post “It’s OK for Freelance Writers to be Bored” earlier this week. I’ll confess, I’m personally a bit worn out from the pre-holiday crunch, as everyone seems to be trying to close out projects before the end of the year, all at the same time.
Nonetheless, seeing these girls go round in circles was a reminder that, as long as you’re enjoying what you’re doing at the moment, it’s not so bad being busy.
Or whatever you want to call it.
Princess Jones says
What a great way to look at it. We all get tired of our jobs. It’s just how it is. But, I always comfort myself with the fact that my worst day doing this is always a million times better than my best day as anything else. So, I’m ok with it.
Mahesh Raj Mohan says
Well said, Jake! The beauty of childhood is that endless wonder, but you’re right that we can all tap into that level of enjoyment for our own pursuits/jobs/work/etc. 🙂
Literary Wonderland says
You paint a really nice picture of the kind of freelance life I hope to have some day — hanging out in-between projects, doing some yard work, reliving (semi-vicariously) carefree days of riding around with few to no cares. Sign me up.
Cathy Miller says
Amen, Jake! Happy holidays, everyone!
Aline says
Ah, the life of a freelancer. Ah, to be 8 years old again. Better still- tapping into that simple wisdom and enjoying the moment.
Thanks for posting that story, Jake!
Dr. Freelance says
Thanks to all for the comments and tweets!
@Princess, yes, I think the standard calculation vs. CubeWorld is about 1,000,000x. Sometimes more.
@Mahesh, thanks. Kiddies can make you appreciate those things in ways us jaded “old folks” (calling myself that, not you!) sometimes forget.
@Literary Wonderland, make no mistake, that was my weekend of hanging out—though it is ever-tempting to put on my rollerblades and skate off into the sunset when work gets too crazy…
(By the way, congratulations on making the freelance leap.)
@Cathy, thanks—and a very happy one to you and all my peeps!
@Aline, glad you enjoyed it—figured you, of all people, would. 🙂
Anne Wayman says
Hi Jake – blows me away what I can learn, or maybe it’s relearn from kids and, come to think about it, cats. Love the image of you digging while they circle. And your internal response smacks of wisdom.
Thanks too for the link,
A
Dr. Freelance says
@Anne, I’m a canine guy, but the same principle applies. My wife and I often joke that we wish we could teach our dog to speak, because she already knows how to sell.