The Joy of Being a Home-Based Business II

This is the current state of my living room. Yes, that's one of my spinning wheels, squashed in behind the pile.

We would have left all of this in the van for the 3 days in between the two craft fairs, but the tires and rims need to be installed on the van on Wednesday and we couldn't fit all of this plus the old and new rims and tires into the van - or at least not without potentially damaging the boxes and possibly their contents.

So, rather than carry all of this down to the studio (where there is no room for it there, either) Doug and I are treading narrow paths to our respective seats in the lr.

What I'm not showing you is the dining room, which is similarly boxed in - so to speak.

The empty box on the top of the pile will have to be put somewhere else if we are to watch any tv, but until I turn the tv on later today it will stay on the top of the heap. :}

So many people believe that because someone has a business that that person is raking in the cash and living the good life. What most of these people don't know and don't understand is that being a home based business means that a) you never wind up having much 'down' time - work is always staring you in the face b) that income is never guaranteed - you pays your money and you takes your chances (like the craft fair this weekend which brought in a couple hundred dollars less than the same show last year), c) that your house is always a mess because there simply isn't sufficient space for all the materials and supplies required for running a business while living in the same space.

OTOH, I can't ever see myself working at a 'real' job. I've been self-employed for far too many years. (You want me to show up every day? On time? And do what?)

I am very happy to be able to set my own pace, choose the job I want to work on (or not, suffering the consequences of missed deadlines), sleep in if I need to, or work until midnight to meet a deadline.

My health has never been great (allergens can blindside me, making down time necessary) and knowing that if I'm not feeling well first thing in the morning I can shift my schedule and work until midnight means that I can set my own priorities and do what I feel capable of doing on an 'off' day.

It also means that every day is a potential work day, and it's rare that I do nothing at all work related.

Of course I do love what I do, so it's not as great a hardship as it may be sounding!

So I continue to live with mess and clutter and narrow pathways through the house. :} And dream that one day my house will be neat and tidy and clean (no dust buffalo roaming the halls and congregating in the corners!)

Like another home based business blogger, I do feel guilty about the mess and hesitate to have company for fear that I will be judged and found lacking in the housekeeping department.