Today, we are blessed to have author, Traci Tyne Hilton share with us! Check out her newest novel, Good, Clean, Murder.
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Good, Clean Murder
I send my kids to school every morning, so I get all sorts of me- time all for myself. I get to read as much fiction as I want. I get to write as much fiction as I want. Or non fiction. Or blog. I get to spend hours online. My husband is supportive of anything I attempt and believes that I can do anything I want. And he wants me to do anything I want. I get girls nights out, weekly coffee days, I have playdates coming out of me ears, and more playdates just waiting for me to initiate. According to woman’s magazine culture, I have the perfect recipe for a fulfilled and satisfying life: Me time, and lots of it.
Yet I am not satisfied. I am very frequently exhausted, worn down, stressed, disappointed in myself, discouraged in my parenting and lacking a sense of meaning in life. I think the paragraph above makes the reason for my troubles clear. If I am stressed and exhausted and all of those other bad descriptors it must be because I have too much of something. I need to read through the above paragraph and highlight whatever it is that occurs to often.
I send my kids to school, so I get all sorts of me– time all for myself. I get to read as much fiction as I want. I get to write as much fiction as I want. Or non fiction. Or blog. I get to spend hours online. My husband is supportive of anything I attempt and believes that I can do anything I want. And he wants me to do anything I want. I get girls nights out, and weekly coffee dates. I have playdates coming out of me ears, and more playdates just waiting for me to initiate. According to woman’s magazine culture, I have the perfect recipe for a fulfilled and satisfying life: Me time, and lots of it.
This paragraph seems to center all around on person. Myself. I am leading a very self-centered life. Self-centered and not so satisfying. I am doing things that are fun and productive, but not refreshing or life giving.
It would be impossible to address and change my whole self-centered life style all by myself. Fortunately, I don’t have to do things all by myself. I have the Holy Spirit to guide and help. Praise the Lord because I need the help.
The way to heal my personal case of selfishness-induced-dismay is relatively easy and time honored. Early to bed and early to rise.
My husband and I tend to stay up late reading, blogging, or just hanging out together. His busy work life makes our evenings extra special. But constantly getting to bed at midnight and getting up moments before I need to drive the kids to school makes mommy stress worse, not better..
I need to and am convinced that I can, start my day off focusing on God. If I cut a solid hour and a half off of the evening routine, I should be able to wake up in time for good, old fashioned, morning devotions. It’s been years since my devotions were a morning activity, and I think my stress and anxiety are the natural consequence.
The woman’s magazine culture would call getting to bed early and reading the Bible in the morning necessary me-time for a mommy. I think, in my life, it is important to make a differentiation. Getting to bed early is healthy me-time, yes. Making time for the Bible and prayer is God time, which is exactly what I need more of.
Traci Tyne Hilton is the author of Good, Clean, Murder, The Mitzy Neuhaus Mystery Series, and one of the authors in the The Tangle Saga series of science fiction novellas. She was the Mystery/Suspense Category winner for the 2012 Christian Writers of the West Phoenix Rattler Contest, a finalist for Speculative Fiction in the same contest, and has a Drammy from the Portland Civic Theatre Guild. Traci serves as the Vice President of the Portland chapter of the American Christian Fiction Writers Association.
Traci earned a degree in History from Portland State University and still lives in the rainiest part of the Pacific Northwest with her husband the mandolin playing funeral director, their two daughters, and their dog, Dr. Watson.
More of Traci’s work can be found at http://www.tracihilton.com
