How a chat with my brother changed my freelance path for good

Years ago, I was ready to quit freelancing after no work for months. My brother, who runs his own thing, said to talk to relatives about what I do. I listened and got a steady job from an uncle who needed help. Now I see how family ties can really keep you afloat in this work. It's funny how a simple talk can turn things around.

4 comments

4 Comments

quinn_burns18d ago

Notice how we all keep these little lists of safe topics, like grandma's recipes or the neighbor's weird lawn ornaments. It feels like we're scared of real talk now, so we cling to these boring scripts. We use family history as a shield so we don't have to ask how someone's really doing. Makes you wonder what we're all avoiding.

viola_lopez301mo agoTop Commenter

Lol, maybe I should call my cousin. Last time we talked was about her cat's weird haircut. Guess I need better topics.

charles2891mo ago

My cousin Jake rang me up yesterday just to ask about our grandma's meatloaf recipe. We spent an hour debating if she used onions (she totally did). Now I keep a list of conversation starters by the phone.

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sage6751mo ago

Wait, you spent a whole hour on if grandma used onions? @charles289, that's crazy. I mean, my family debates stuff like that but never that long. Like, we once argued about her potato salad recipe for maybe twenty minutes. But an hour? Idk, maybe it's just me but that's a lot of time for onions. And now you have a list by the phone? That's smart, but also kind of sad we need prompts to talk.