It's tax season, and 2009 is the first year I was entirely self-employed. My status as a freelance has created a situation that I wasn't fully appreciating until now - Tax Time.
The business side of the freelance coin is difficult to manage and empowering. I am lucky enough to have a very consistent nearly full-time freelance job
which is ideal for me. I'm working all the time. Great. The personal side of freelancing is the real draw for me, because I'm able to spend so much time with my boy. The struggle for working parents, the balance between money for bills and living life with our kids is a constant point of anxiety. It's an impossible choice for most people, and I'm so happy that I'm able to truly do both.
So as I'm analyzing my year month-by-month, line by line, I can see all the work I did and remember all the happy rewards. Tons of cabin time...
An amazing and unforgettable camping trip to the Superior National Forest with my honey, my small man, my mom and the happiest wolf in the mid-west...
My first duathlon with my best friend, my first half-marathon, Jack's big marathon debut, and a 150-mile bike ride which raised tons of money for a great cause and taught me a lot about myself, what it means to really be tired and to fight hard for something...
...and in the midst of all this, we built a brand new garage and created a new beautiful backyard with the help of some very generous and lovely friends and neighbors.
So at a time when I could dwell on the checks I will write, I choose instead to focus on the beauty of a year's worth of time well spent.
