I don’t get sick days

A preamble. An explanation. A sign that something needs to change.

Me, trying to power through last week. (Getty Images)

There are lots of things I love about being a freelancer. The lack of sick days or paid time off is not one of them.

Last week was rough. A stomach bug tore through our household, throwing everything off course. Our kiddo missed four days of preschool, Billy dropped everything to take care of her, and I worked through it all. Between Monday and Friday, I attended four meetings; interviewed five sources; presented during a webinar; released a project many months in the making; led an advisory group discussion; drafted four newsroom fundraising emails and edited six more; and wrote and submitted a 1,200-word blog post. 

I did this because I had deadlines and expectations to meet and because, as a freelancer, I don’t have coworkers to step in to cover my absence. I made it work — but it took a major toll. I ended each day nauseous and exhausted, with very little patience remaining for my family, who definitely could have used some compassion and understanding, too.

By the time the weekend rolled around, we had all recovered. Things felt brighter! Billy headed to Asheville, North Carolina to play two shows while my daughter and I enjoyed some much-needed quality time. Typically, I begin writing each week’s newsletter on Sunday mornings, but the last thing I wanted to do was steal from our time together by squeezing in more work.