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Finally...A Freelance Life

I know there are people out there who look forward to retirement and even enjoy it once it comes. I talk to these people wanting to know what's so great about not working. Not working, they usually say for starters. Then comes travel, visiting the grand-kids, golf, tennis. Dig a bit deeper and they'll say no responsibilities, no obligations...well, you get the picture. You may even be living and loving the picture.

But for me...forget the money involved in all those "fun" retirement activities-it just seems...well either a hassle or dull. I'm not the only one in my age group who still wants to feel connected and productive, have a focus. And yes, make some money. I'm not saying you need to earn money from what you do. Plenty of my friends do volunteer work and feel useful, connected, etc. But plenty of us, myself included, like the idea of making money for the things we do. 

So what do we do? As a writer I guess I've been living a freelance life for a long time but never really saw it so clearly as I do now. And if there are freelance writers, there can be freelance ------(fill in the blank).

I like to think there are endless possibilities, not a 9 to 5 job, but this whole concept of living "a freelance life". Seeing life this way can feel scary but it can also feel "freeing". I was with a friend the other day and she was showing some people very attractive crocheted items she had made wondering what she might do with them or make from them. Ideas and suggestions came instantly. Quilts, shawls, jewelry. And with that came thoughts about how she could market them and possibly make some money.

Later, my crochet friend and I had lunch. She talked about having time on her hands now that she was no longer in business and wanting to continue feeling creative and productive. I hear this from people all the time. I have another friend who started doing some sketching and is thinking of turning them into gifts. Another friend took on a town landscaping project and was able to advertise her landscaping skills that way. Some people try one pursuit then another and another and I think that's great. A freelance dabbler, sounds fine to me.

For me retirement feels like an ending. Living a freelance life, on the other hand, is a whole new beginning.

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