What My First Summer as a Freelance Writer Taught Me About Life

Enjoying summer is a new thing for me

The summer solstice just passed, and I took the time to notice it.

This is a big deal for me. As someone who pushed themselves ridiculously hard her whole career, I wouldn’t have ever thought of allowing myself the space to enjoy a summer day.

I had to get to work. The drive to the store I ran took me almost an hour, so I didn’t allow myself time to enjoy most things. I had to get to the time clock. I had to set a good example for my team.

This year, I’ve walked my neighborhood every day. I know everyone that works at the coffee shops, and I know the best thing to order at each of them. I gave up worrying about my non-existent tan and the ten pounds I wanted to lose.

I decided I would just live.

I bought shorts and declared that I would only wear them from now on. I’m going to be all about shorts. I’m only doing what I want to do now.

Last night, my husband noticed the tan line from my shorts and said, “Is that new?”

Yeah, it is.

“It’s because you no longer work in a box,” he replied.

He’s right.

I’ve never enjoyed summer as an adult. I only pushed through it — running from my car to the air-conditioned building and throwing on a cardigan. I would appreciate the colder months at work because I could layer sweaters, boots, and warm socks all day.

I would never wear shorts to work. Now I wear them every day.

I actually get to see my husband too. We both worked in customer service for decades and often had to work opposite shifts. I would go for days without seeing him. We would text each other about where we left off on chores.

Dishes are clean. Got the laundry going. The dog will need a new bag of food this week. What time do you work tomorrow?

That was our life, our reality for years. Like, two decades of this.

Tonight we’re going to grab some food and head to the beach. Who are we? We can go to the beach now? Weird. In years past, we never made time for it because we were both too tired at the end of the day to even think about adding one more thing.

When you stop working a corporate job, you get to figure out who you want to be and how you want to move through the world.

It can be scary. I felt like an alien during the first week of my freelance writing life. Is everyone staring at me? It felt that way for some reason.

For my entire adult life, I was a retail leader. It was a massive part of how I defined myself. I work retail, and I work really hard. I wore that like a badge of honor.

Now, I’m finished. I don’t need it anymore. I proved what I was capable of to myself, and now I’m soaking up this next phase.

Soaking up the sun. Spending time with my dog. Setting out on road trips by myself. Seeing family that I missed for the past ten years because I was working. I don’t even know why I did that to myself. I guess I thought it was necessary.

Now, I’m looking up to the stars and watching the sunset every day. I breathe deep as the clouds change from white to pink to orange to purple, then disappear in the night sky.

Working for myself and freelance writing is still strange to me. Carving a new career is challenging, but it’s what I wanted. I figured out that I could grab my laptop, create a new career, and make my own world, and that’s what I’ve done.

Every walk, every sunset, and every evening with my husband makes the hard days worth it. And there are hard days.

I wanted to be known as a hard-working, intelligent retail leader, so I did it. Then, I changed my mind. Life is what you make of it.

When you allow yourself the space to be with those important to you and take time to be in nature, job titles begin to disappear. The work you love will rise to the surface.

Writing is what I love, so I made it my career. Focusing on that and building my brand has shown me parts of my life I had neglected for a long time. Summer is just one of those things.

Allow yourself the opportunity to change course and redefine your reality. The sun may shine on the things you least expected.

Kit Campoy is a SoCal Freelance Writer from the Sonoran Desert. She covers Web3 including cryptocurrency, company profiles, and interview pieces for online publications. Connect with Kit on LinkedIn, DeSo, and Twitter. Give yourself a break, and join her weekly newsletter.