In spite of tight budgets, clients from hell and unsociable working hours, freelancers tend to be human. Yes. You better believe it. And humans get sick every now and then. Especially after three weeks of participating in a freelancer's favorite sport: Chasing Deadlines.
So usually after each really hectic just-in-time-deadline-victory I get some form of human disease. It will present itself in something like a big red swollen rash over the left side of my face, resulting in "my connection is too slow today for visual" during a Skype meeting call. Or embarrassing diarrhea using all my precious 2-ply, prohibiting movement, making even a short walk to the post box at the gate quite a risky endeavor. Flu-like symptoms – not sure it's the real deal but for two days I'm shaking with fever, are clogged up, completely brainless and looks like I've binged on Stroh Rum for a whole week. Usually during those two days of brainlessness I manage to get myself into more ridiculous deadlines and so the system feeds itself.
A friend saw me during one of these frail human moments and told me with great concern and with as much tact as he could muster that he knows a great therapist that can help me get off whatever I'm on. I just looked at him with red watery eyes, blew my nose and said: "It's a jealous lover. I can't live with him and I can't live without him."
Tonight when I make my thirtieth cup of tea with the already three times soaked teabag (see, saving money even in the dead of night), exploring yet another angle after the first ten attempts left me a frustrated, why-am-I-#¥*$@!!-freelancing, design-hating mess; I know at some stage during this grueling process, the lover will show his affection. I have to be patient. It will come. Soon I will bathe in the glorious golden glow of victory and be Super Human again. The client will be delighted, pay me late and make me do it all again. And I will. With a smile. After the two days of diarrhea.
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