by Tari Faris, @FarisTari
This month I turned 46. I didn’t think much about turning 45 initially but over the year I realized that I had moved to another box. You know the “check your age” box. I was no longer in the 30-44 category. I was now 45-60 category. Wow!
I have become the age where half of the people I meet will think – Wow, you’re old. While the other half think – You are still so young. And the reality is, they are both right.
Forty-six years. Even if I live a long life, my life is about half over. Gone are the days of staying up late or water-skiing and not paying for it for the next week. Yes, my body has seen better days, yet from here on out, it will never look better than this.
But before you think I am wallowing in the depths of mid-life depression I will add this . . . I am still so young and every day, whether I have one more day on earth or 60 more years, is a gift. A gift from God to accomplish His purpose in me.
I had a cousin die this year. We had grown up together. Graduated together. Aged together. And yet he will never see 46. It was a smack of reality. Every day is a gift.
The question is what will I do with that gift? How will I spend today? Not just the day but the hours. The minutes.
I don’t want to leave anything undone. Relationships. Goals. Books.
I have so many book ideas that I still want to write. Am I being diligent with my time to get them written? Honestly, not always.
O think back to a year ago when I turned 45. I had plans to get 200,000 words written this year. Goal accomplished? Nope. I got about 50,000 written.
Some of that was out of my control. Some of it wasn’t. Some of it was wasted time on my phone. Some of it was wasted time on TV. Some of it was healthy things like exercising.
I don’t want to stop time.
I don’t want to stay young.
But I do want to be purposeful. I am tired of letting time slip through my life and missing moments of writing, ministry, mommy-hood, life.
I want to grab the end of my forties with both hands and run toward my future of unknown length. Whether I will see 47 there is no guarantee but I If I do (and I assume I will) I want to meet 47 running full steam, filled with the joy that I have lived another year fully, loved another year fully, worshiped another year fully.
That year starts now.
And I am going to start with my planner. No, this isn’t an ad. But I do love my planner for a reason. I love the value based section at the being so I can make sure that I am pursuing not just business but what I value. What system do you use?
Can a return home find the answers they are both searching for?
Interior Design student Ellie Matthews has escaped to New York City, leaving behind her small town of Heritage, and most importantly, the boy who almost derailed her dreams, Kade Paxton. Sure, she’s excited to return home for Christmas, but she’s fixed her gaze on her future. Even when her sister, Olivia begs her to plan the annual Heritage Christmas Ball. And then her partner in planning shows up…
Wanna-be painter, current mechanic Kade Paxton can’t believe the girl who walked out of his life is back…and that in order to keep his promise to his aunt, he’ll have to actually work with her. The last thing he’s going to do is let Ellie in to break his heart all over again. But, with the opportunity to showcase his paintings, this might be his one chance to grab ahold of his dreams…But working together stirs up old dreams, and soon they find themselves caught up in the holiday magic…but what happens when the ball is over? Is there a future beyond the small town and snowflakes?
It’ll take some miracles under a Midnight Snow to find the answer. Return to Heritage one more time with this heartwarming Christmas novella.
Tari Faris has been writing fiction for fifteen years but has been creating fiction in her head for as long as she can remember. She is represented by Wendy Lawton at Books & Such Literary Management and is a member of ACFW and My Book Therapy. She was the 2017 Genesis winner, 2016 Genesis finalist, and 2014 Genesis finalist. In addition to her writing, she also works for My Book Therapy as a special project manager and writes for LearnHowToWriteANovel.com. When she is not writing or working, she spends time with her amazing husband and kids. In her free time, she loves coffee, rockhounding with her husband and kids, and distracting herself from housework. You can connect with her at www.tarifaris.com