Today is one of my favorite days of the year. Maybe it’s the anticipation of the feast tomorrow and looking forward to spending time with people I love. And unless I’m cooking the meal, it’s usually a relaxing day where I turn off the computer early and hang out with the kids. It’s just a special and fun kinda day.

When I woke up this morning, I found myself feeling extra thankful for all of the blessings in my life and wanted to take the time to share the ones that relate to work with you.

1. My Family and Dogs

I started freelancing so I could take my kids to and from school. And I keep freelancing so that I can be there when the people (and puppies) I love need me. My husband, kids and dogs are the reason I freelance and they are my favorite people in the world. I couldn’t do it without their support: being silent when I yell “work call,” listening to my chatter after working alone all day and eating takeout pizza on deadline days.

2. My Wonderful Writer Friends

I honestly don’t think I could do this journey without my amazing, unique and caring writer friends. Special shout out to Stephanie, Wendy, Leslie and Jenny. But there are so many more wonderful people that celebrate, listen to me vent and laugh with me. I spent the weekend at an ASJA conference and was reminded how much these wonderful ladies mean to me.

3. Freedom to Work with People I Want

I am sensitive. Probably the most sensitive person you will ever meet. Working with people that are not nice really drains me and stresses me. I found it challenging to work in a corporate environment for this very reason. One of the biggest benefits to freelancing is that, if I don’t like someone, then I don’t have to work with them. In the past few years, I have started taking advantage of this freedom more and now I only work with VERY, VERY nice people.

4. Freedom to Work When I Want

I thought my kids would need me less now that they are teens, but that is only partly true. Yes, they need me less in terms of quantity. But when they need me, they really need me and they need me at that exact second. If I wasn’t a freelancer, I wouldn’t be able to spontaneously take two hours off one day last week when my currently sullen 14-year-old son got into a talkative mood and wanted to hang out. Or yesterday when my 16-year-old was teary over the endless girl drama of high school. Yes, this means I work some evenings or weekends. But that’s the point – I can weave my work and life together in a way that works for me. Not someone else.

5. Getting Paid to Do Something I Love

Yes, I don’t love every day of my work. But I knew I wanted to be a writer since I was five. Well, probably earlier, I just don’t remember. I have realized in recent years that not everyone loves their job and that I am blessed to have figured out a way to get paid to do what I love.

6. My Virtual Assistant and Proofreader

Without these two wonderful ladies, I would never get time to hang out with my kids and my editors would hate me. Well, actually, I probably wouldn’t have any editors because I would have lost many of my clients. Cat and Barbra are two of the most helpful women I know and they are both amazing at their job. They save my tail and my sanity on a weekly – sometimes daily – basis.

7. My Blog Readers

When I first started blogging, it was literally just me. Seriously. I got like five page views a week. Then my first two blog readers showed up – Lori, Holly B. and Alma – and I realized that someone else was actually reading.  Then Lori started tweeting my posts weekly and I couldn’t believe someone liked my work enough to share it. And over the years, I have had the pleasure of meeting many of you through comments, over the phone and in person. I appreciate the time each of you spends reading and commenting on my blog. I am very thankful for you and hope you have a wonderful holiday.

What about freelancing are you thankful for today?