I Fessed Up to My Freelancing Lie

So I work from home as a freelance graphic designer. It's great because I can make my own schedule and choose the projects that suit me best, but it does mean sometimes clients expect more than I have time for. One day, my neighbor (who I see almost every morning) was talking about how busy everyone is at their office jobs. She mentioned all these late meetings they're having lately and just sighed heavily. I looked out the window to where she stood chatting with her husband and realized something, I'd been telling her for weeks that I had a big project due from my 'real' job, but in truth, it was just another quiet week of freelancing. It made me feel guilty for lying about having a regular office job when she's so clearly stressed out about hers. But here's the thing: I've always felt this weird pressure to seem more stable and conventional than what my career actually is. So yeah, I lied, but it was just to fit in with her image of what being an adult looks like. Still, after overhearing them talking, something inside me clicked, maybe it's time for a little honesty. Now when she asks how work is going, I'm ready to talk about my actual freelancing life without hiding anything.