What if today were a Thursday, my busiest day? What if I didn’t have the option of pushing my projects to the backburner for a day or two while I get better? Tough shit, because freelancers don’t get sick days. If you are a stand-alone operation, like I am, you don’t have someone who can swoop in and rescue you for a few hours or a few days. I can’t afford to miss deadlines with my clients when I am just building this business of mine.

Which is why when I read this earlier today, I couldn’t help but get all weepy. I mean, yeah, I have personal reasons for getting weepy about it, too, but I also have professional ones. I have the flu – everyone gets it. This woman suffered far worse than that!

Can I, as a freelancer, allow myself to get into a situation no different than one I would have with a regular employer, i.e. risking my job and my income when real life hands me a curve ball? No. I’m already couch surfing with wonderful friends because I gambled with the gawdawful job market and I lost. I hope one day to have enough money to once more have a ZERO balance in my bank account, instead of the -$700 overdraft situation I am in right now.

Given the fact that I am a big believer in learning from others’ mistakes as well as my own, I think it’s time to start diversifying. Thank you Naomi, for suffering so that I, and others like me, may not have to.