Time Zones

 

Being an evening person, the Spring time jump has definite advantages in the evening. Until my alarm clock goes in the morning, telling me that maybe I should go by what the clocks say in the evening, rather than explain to my head that it’s only ten thirty, so plenty of time to start reading a new book...

My children only seem to need a day to adjust to the new time, rather than the week or so I need to accept the new times. Waking up early or lack of good sleep gives me a migraine. Making it hard to eat, leading to another migraine later that day...

Going on holiday in different time zones has the same effect. We stayed in Crete as a family for the second time and we vaguely remembered the clocks moving one hour forward, instead of two... We only found out after a week, because we missed an outing we hoped to go on! I wonder how often that happens? Judging by the poor woman’s reaction, we were definitely not the first tourists to get it wrong that season...

Time is a funny thing. We all know the speed time moves at when having fun. Or the number of times it’s physically possible for your children to ask if the five minutes are up yet. Historical research is another one. I’m sure that involves some kind of time travelling, where looking at things in the past merges the two time frames. Or when reading a book means the two time zones melt together, so even though you only read for five minutes, the clock tells you it’s been two hours.

Then there is editing time. The time where you simply sit and stare at the screen, wondering how many exclamation marks you have missed and whether it’s breath or breathe because your brain has zoned out and has gone looking at happier times. The way to get back on track is to remind yourself to redeem the time.

Which brings you into another time zone. Eternity. Is writing random books about underground dwellers in need of resources as well as fresh DNA a good use of time anyway? Should I have edited it or just accept I write for myself? How valuable is our writing in light of God’s timing? If it brings one person closer to God, does that excuse the time we have used to write our stories? Maybe God’s love would have reached more people if I had an immaculate house instead...

Writing is my private time zone, where I’m by myself, feeling blessed as well as thoroughly enjoying myself. It’s a gift from God, not in the quality of the writing, but the quality of the time zone. God blesses us with so many moments, filling us with joy and His love. So whether you love the Spring springing forward an hour, or need most of this week to figure out how much longer you have to read that book without regrets, I pray you’ll get closer to the God who made time and fills eternity.

Maressa Mortimer is Dutch but lives in the beautiful Cotswolds, England with her husband and four (adopted) children. Maressa is a homeschool mum as well as a pastor’s wife, so her writing has to be done in the evening when peace and quiet descend on the house once more. She loves writing Christian fiction, as it’s a great way to explore faith in daily life. Because of her interest in writing, Maressa is part of Creativity Matters: Find Your Passion For Writing, an anthology encouraging people to write.

Her debut novel, Sapphire Beach, was published in December 2019, and her first self published novel, Walled City, came out in December 2020, followed by Viking Ferry, a novella. Beyond the Hills is the second book in the Elabi Chronicles, and Burrowed, a standalone book about an island will be released on April 12th. All of Maressa’s books are available from her website, www.vicarioushome.com, Amazon or local bookshops.