Living the Dream
Giddy with delight I accepted a full-time
writing job in August. Go figure, I actually make enough money to live. Working
from home had always been my goal, my desire, my passion, my dream.
Having a writing gig means that I now have
copy editors and senior editors breathing down my back, not to mention the article
deadlines. Any new job has a learning curve but with all the excitement of a getting
the job, I’d forgotten about that sort of thing, and trust me, I got a rude
awakening.
After my first article was finally edited
and re-edited, I was paid. What a hoot. After the third article sold, I was
doing the happy dance around the house saying those editors can boss me around
all they want. Life is good!
Now that I’m home day after day looking at
the same four walls with a pack of dogs yipping at me for attention, I realize
this is not exactly what I thought it would be like. Why is it when I’m really
busy the phone will not stop ringing yet other times no one calls and I am
lonely? Nevertheless, working from home has always been my goal.
However, there is one problem because I
tend to be compulsive. I stay up late at
night writing articles. When I go to bed, I think about the articles I’ve
written wishing that I had changed a word or sentence. Then I worry that the
editor has sent me an e-mail. Sometimes at two in the morning, I will drag
myself out of bed and check the computer. Yes, I understand that it is totally
nuts...but working from home has always been my desire.
My personality thrives on deadlines. I do not “do” late. However, one day we had a
thunderstorm that knocked out my internet service and I came unglued and yelled
at the internet people. (Not cool.) After three weeks of writing fulltime, I
realize that I’ve never complained so much in my life. Heck, my kids don’t even
call me anymore…and who can blame them.
Most people with jobs go home to relax
after work, looking forward to the weekend. Unsurprisingly, I have to leave the
house to get away from work. I don’t remember the last time I looked forward to
a weekend because I compulsively work every day. Yet, working from home has
always been my life’s passion.
This morning as my red-rimmed eyes adjust
to the early light, I hear Dr Phil whisper in my ear. “How’s this working for
ya?”
In a blink of an eye, reality hits and I
had the answer. Working from home has always been my goal, my desire, my
passion, and my dream. In spite of this,
I will admit I was wrong. I now know without a shadow of a doubt, that working
from home is a nightmare. So, without further ado, I quit.
