Today was Tax Day, so of course, I was on Turbo Tax today getting my taxes done. I don't know why I always feel the need to wait until actual Tax Day to file my returns. I'd probably be a lot better off being proactive and getting them done in January or February like all the big boys and girls out there.
I'm guessing it's because taxes are not fun when you're a self-employed person. You pretty much always owe, and I'm like a dragon hoarding its gold when it comes to money, especially these days. I've been very proud of how I've been able to put money in savings, clean up my credit, and all the rest of it over the past few years. It is not easy for me to let large amounts of money go for purposes like taxes, big bills, or unexpected emergency purchases. And I did really well last year -- certainly the best I've done since I started freelancing full time -- so I had to cough up a pretty big wad of change.
I feel better about it than I would have thought, though. In the past, stuff like this used to really piss me off, but I guess at some point over the past decade or two, I actually grew into an emotionally mature adult. I'm more socially astute than I used to be, so there's something I like about knowing I've paid my share toward the money that goes to pave roads, help people in need, and keep society running. I enjoy feeling like a productive, contributing member of society and all that.
I guess that means I'm officially an old fart, but whatever. It's all good. It's just money. There's a lot more of it where that came from, and I have a lot of faith in my ability to earn more these days. It certainly feels like a load off -- having something I dread as much as I dread doing taxes officially off my plate for another year.
........
Beyond that, May's been a pretty low-key month for the most part. I'm keeping up with all my freelancing obligations, although I've had rather a lot to do these days. More than I'd like if I'm honest, but I suppose that's a good problem to have. I can always tell people "no" or cut back on the number of fill-in assignments I take if things get too crazy.
I'm still writing very regularly on Medium and looking to ramp up my posting frequency there in the months to come. I have some personal goals I'd like to meet -- publications I'd like to submit to and new topics I'd like to tackle. I'd like to find more of an audience there for some of my fiction and perhaps submit some poetry soon. Ideally, I'd like to be floating some creative writing out there a couple of times a month. I don't want to beat people over the head with it or anything, but I want people exposed to it, as I plan to spend more time on that sort of writing in the future.
I submitted a couple of older poems to a poetry contest on a whim a few days ago. It was one of those Vocal contests I've meant to enter for ages now, so I'm proud of myself for finally following through with one of them. Obviously, I don't honestly expect to win that $2,000, but somebody will, so why the hell not?
Don't even talk to me about News Break. I've been god-awful about posting there lately. In fact, I haven't submitted anything new yet in May... or April either, for that matter. Since they've pivoted all the way over to wanting only local content and news, I just don't feel as enthused about being there. It would help if they'd just hurry the fuck up and figure out what they're trying to be as a platform, though. I don't mind diversifying, but I kind of need to know I'm investing my time in something that's going to work for me over the long term. The way News Break is going, they're not even going to be around in a few years.
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