Independence day

I never made it to my first golf lesson.

That day, I got laid off from my copyediting job of three years, and improving my golf technique suddenly seemed unimportant.

It was May 14, 2001. I will forever associate that date with difficult emotions—shock, panic, sadness, apprehension. But in the time that’s passed since then, I’ve come to think of May 15 as my personal independence day. Because on that day, my freelance career was born. In addition to getting a rush of support from friends and family, I heard from previous coworkers who reached out to say, “We’ve got plenty to keep you busy if you’re interested in doing some freelance work.” In doing so, they planted the seeds of a network that would grow and allow me to make a living as a freelance editor for years to come — in fact, 19 years as of today. And counting.

The freelancing life has been a roller-coaster ride with all the peaks and valleys you might imagine. It’s involved working at home and at client sites. I’ve taken one-off jobs and long-term contracts. Some years, the work has been abundant; other years, lean. I’ve accepted that as part of being a freelancer. For me, the pros outweigh the cons.

This year, my independence day falls in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Like so many others, I’m feeling some anxiety about the future of my business. Still, I’ve survived other crises—the aftermath of 9/11, the 2008 Great Recession—so I’m staying optimistic. As soon as I finish writing this note, I’ll start an editing project, and for that I feel grateful.