Flexible Gratitude

image courtesy of Hà Cao via pixabay.com

Over on Ink in My Coffee, the almost-daily blog, I have an intent for this week about staying steady to finish what needs to be done for others in the holiday season, so that I can enjoy the next two weeks ending the year.

Part of that enjoyment is about envisioning what I want to craft for 2023, which I will talk about leading up to answering the Questions for 2023, which are posted on another page on this site.

One of the aspects I’m working on this week is also what I’m calling “flexible gratitude.”

The big challenge for me is the work. I’d hoped to push hard this week with one particular aspect of the freelance work, earning at least my goal and maybe a little more so I could take off most of the next two weeks without worry.

However, there’s nothing on my schedule for today for that particular client, or at all for this week (although there may well be a few things coming up).

I pushed hard last week for that client, so I’m not in terrible shape. The bills for the month are paid; the cards stamped; the packages mailed and arrived. Provided there aren’t any emergencies, I don’t have to panic about a lack of work this week.

I can be grateful that I have the time to finish what I want to get done for the holidays, instead of sitting up until midnight on the 24^th, trying to get it all done.

I can be flexible with my gratitude; grateful for open time today to switch focus to other things; grateful to jump on as assignment when it shows up.

After all, that’s why I freelance, isn’t it? To have a flexible schedule.

Which means two-way flexibility. Too often, when a company says a schedule is “flexible” they mean you’re on call without a retainer, and when they say “jump” you’re supposed to drop everything for them.

That’s not why I freelance. I want to control my own schedule. When our needs align, we work together; when they do not, they do not.

The reality of money doesn’t always allow for that. Sometimes, an assignment comes in at a bad time, but I have to take it because I need the money.

But when I can take a breath and enjoy unexpected space and time, I like to do so.

Are there other things I “should” be doing? Probably. I should probably learn how to utilize TikTok and market my entire backlist and find new venues in which to promote the serials and send out a ton of LOIs. (I realized that I sent out 0 LOIs in November, and only 1 so far in December).

Instead, I am going to focus on writing and reading and decorating. Okay, so I have to shovel the car out of the snow, not my favorite tasks. But that will be my cardio for the day, right?

I will be grateful for a day without assignments, and then, if and when some come in later this week, I will welcome them, and can meet them with fresh eyes.

Especially since I spent the weekend in a whirl of baking and decorating and card writing and considered taking today as a snow day (since it’s snowing) and I’m tired.

Why not jump on the opportunity?

And do it without feeling stressed about it?

That is part of what I’m trying to heal in this Chiron retrograde: the feeling that if I’m not always up to a mythical level of “productivity” I’m being lazy and useless.

Nope. I’m refilling the creative well, resting, and rejuvenating. Which is necessary.

This week, in addition to the intent of holding steady, I will also work on flexible gratitude. Which, I am sure, will offer challenges. But I will still put in the work, and see how that changes things.

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