With winter on its way, I am once again very thankful to be a home-based professional. As much as I have been careful to avoid the subject of winter because I did not want to acknowledge that it was in fact on the way, I can no longer do so. A few inches of wet, heavy snow has already fallen here in New Hampshire, where I have been for the past few days. That wet, heavy snow (or a car accident related thereto) has caused a power outage at the hotel where we are staying – and a whole lot of other places too.
Even though my laptop has very little battery life, I managed to have the foresight to pack the power inverter in my backpack as I was preparing for our trip. As I mentioned during the power outage that was related to the hurricane that hit Vermont, the power inverter is a magical invention that lets me run my laptop off of the car battery. Sure, it’s cold outside but when the battery on the laptop dies, out to the car I will go. The car has a heater, so within a few minutes of going out there I’ll be warm, dry, and productive.
The blessings associated with home-based work in the winter are many. Chief among the things that I am thankful for are that I do not have to drive to or from work. I also do not have to put my son in the car to go anywhere for child care, or anywhere else for that reason. My work is done largely online, so I can continue to serve my clients as long as I have access to a power outlet and a cell phone signal for my mobile broadband card. That is a good thing, since not all of my clients are from New England and I am sure that some of them are rather happy about that right about now. I am truly lucky that in the worst of weather, I do not have any obligations outside of the home that would tempt me to venture out into the cold when the roads are dangerous.
Photo by gracey on morguefile.com.