The Diary of a Petsitter: I’m Working on My Birthday - And That’s Okay

It’s my Birthday today. I’m 42. And I’m working.

Before anyone thinks I’m having a miserable birthday, I’m not.

In fact, I’m having exactly the kind of birthday I want.

A quiet one.

I woke up early, as I often do, and instead of rushing around trying to make the day feel ‘special’, I got on with things. I worked on a post for my pet-sitting business, started writing this blog, and got ready for my morning appointments.

Because my clients’ pets don’t know it’s my birthday.

And quite honestly, neither do I need them to.

Would You Turn Down a Booking Because it’s Your Birthday?

This was actually something I had to think about recently.

I had a regular cat-sitting booking and the final day of the booking happened to fall on my birthday.

Now, I could have said:

‘Sorry, I can look after your cat until Saturday, but I can’t do the final visit on Sunday because it’s my birthday.’

But would I?

The whole booking was worth €135, and I didn’t have any birthday plans.

There was no holiday booked. No elaborate celebration. No special event that I needed to attend.

It was a straightforward 30 minute cat-sitting visit.

So I thought: why would I turn down perfectly good income simply because the date happens to be my birthday?

I wouldn’t.

And I didn’t.

Being Self-Employed Changes the Way You Look at Days Off

When you work for yourself, you don’t necessarily have the same relationship with weekends, holidays and special occasions as someone working a conventional Monday to Friday job.

There isn’t somebody else deciding when you’re working and when you’re off.

You decide.

And that means sometimes you might decide:

‘Nope. I’m taking my birthday off.’

And that’s completely valid.

If I’d had a holiday planned, I’d have blocked the date.

If I’d arranged a birthday celebration, I’d have protected the time.

If I’d simply wanted the entire day to myself, I’d have made myself unavailable.

But I didn’t.

So I worked.

And I’m completely okay with that.

I’m not Working because I Have to Make My Birthday Miserable

There’s an important difference here.

I’m not filling every available hour with work because I believe I should always be working.

Actually, quite the opposite.

Today I have four bookings spread throughout the day. I have gaps between my appointments. I can come home, rest, work on projects, look after my pets and have some quiet time before heading out again.

That’s a balance I can live with.

I’m earning money without giving up the entire day.

And that matters.

Because being self-employed shouldn’t mean working yourself into the ground.

What Motivates Me?

Yes, money motivates me.

I’m not embarrassed to say that.

When you’re self-employed, income matters. The amount I earned today contributes to my household rather than choosing not to earn simply because I felt I was supposed to take the day off.

And the €135 from the cat-sitting booking is useful money too.

I’m working towards a better life.

And when I say that, I don’t mean some imaginary future where everything will eventually be perfect.

I’m working towards a better present.

There are things about my current living environment that I don’t particularly like. I want more peace, stability and security for myself and my pets.

I want to live and create a home environment that feels right for me.

Those things take money.

They take planning.

They take work.

So when I have an opportunity to earn money doing work that I enjoy and that fits into my schedule, I’m not going to automatically turn it down because it’s my birthday.

I’d rather be paid than broke.

It’s as simple as that.

Life Doesn’t Suddenly Become Perfect because It’s Your Birthday

I think we put an enormous amount of pressure on birthdays.

There’s an expectation that the day should be amazing.

You should celebrate.

You should have fun.

You should make memories.

Everything should go perfectly.

But real life doesn’t work that way.

You can wake up on your birthday and still have annoying things happen.

You can run into somebody you’d rather not see.

You can have people around you who disrupt your peace.

You can have problems at home.

You can have financial worries.

You can have work to do.

You can simply be tired.

And none of those things disappear because you’ve reached another birthday.

So what do you do?

You get on with it.

You mind your business.

You choose your peace over the chaos.

You focus on the things you can control.

And you keep moving forward.

Sometimes Peace is The Celebration

I’m not looking for a huge birthday this year.

I’m 42.

And what I really want at this stage of my life is pretty simple:

Money.

Peace.

Health.

Wellbeing.

A better home.

Happy pets.

A successful business.

And becoming a better version of myself.

That’s what excites me more than having one spectacular day.

So today, I’m working.

I’m taking care of other people’s pets.

I’m taking care of my own pets.

I’m working on my business.

I’m writing.

I’m earning money.

I’m taking breaks.

And later, I’ll probably get myself a little sweet treat because, well, it is my birthday.

That’s enough.

The Freedom to Choose

One of the best things about being self-employed is that eventually, the goal isn’t simply to work more.

It’s to create enough stability that you have more choices.

Choices about when you work.

Choices about when you rest.

Choices about where you live.

Choices about what you spend your money on.

Choices about how you spend your time.

And sometimes, choosing to work on your birthday is actually part of creating that freedom.

Because I’m not working today because my birthday doesn’t matter.

I’m working because my life matters too.

My present matters.

My future matters.

My financial stability matters.

My peace matters.

And so does having the freedom to decide for myself what a good birthday looks like.

For me, this year, a good birthday looks remarkably ordinary.

A few pet-sitting appointments.

Some quiet time at home.

My pets around me.

A little work on the things I’m building.

And knowing that I’m doing something today that contributes to the life I want tomorrow.

I’m 42. I’m here. I’m grateful. And I’m getting on with it.

And honestly?

That’s exactly how I want to spend my birthday.