Drop Everything

It's practically the freelancer's mantra. When you are never sure when one gig might end or the next one might come, if the phone rings, you jump. If you are asked to come, you come. You become accustomed to "dropping everything," adjusting your plans and your schedule, sometimes at just a moment's notice. It's a little like "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie." One reaction leads to another and another, and before you know it, your day can look very different than you originally imagined.

My full-time, staff job friends often can't believe I live this way, never quite knowing the "when," the "how much," and the "how long." They go into each week knowing what to expect, and can't imagine handling the limbo that we freelancers often do. They make plans, and keep them. They "drop everything," or so it seems, much less often.

As a person who has always kind of lived in "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie" mode, reacting and following as needs and wants arise, I guess maybe I was somewhat destined for a "drop everything" life. There is a certain energy in never completely knowing what twists and turns your day will take. It may not always be convenient, and it may take more patience that you have the right to ask from the people in your life, but in an odd way, it often works.

Once in a while, "drop everything" leads to a lot of pieces just rolling around. But sometimes, "drop everything" turns out to be a great way to keep life interesting.