Hello, ladies and gentlemen! Tell me, honestly, how do you feel your days go? Because when I was little, I had the idea that being a grown woman would be like this:
Uhhh...how do I put this lightly? Being a grown woman is hard. Between two part-time jobs, part-time graduate studies, nurturing a long-distance relationship, trying (and failing) to help my mother around the house, attempting to spend time with four siblings, and telling myself that this week will be the week I start growing my spiritual life, being a grown woman looks more like this: 
Yeah. Luckily for Anna, for me, and for all you other ladies who don't have Rapunzel's pep, there's a book. The Fringe Hours is all about making time for yourself...so that you can be more like Rapunzel and less like Anna.
Excuse me??! Did I not just tell you about the jobs and the relationships and the siblings and the faith and the--
Yes. I did.
Turner knows what it means to be a busy woman. The Fringe Hours isn't about neglecting the housework or failing to show up for work; it's about using the little moments (and sometimes the big moments) to give our lady selves some love; it's about using the minutes and hours we normally fritter away on making ourselves happier, fuller, and more whatever we happen to need to be.
What exactly are fringe hours? Here's an example from my life:
Today was my day off after seven days of working at least one job. I got up late, frittered an hour away on my phone, ate an unhealthy breakfast, played video game, did a bit of cleaning, a bit of reading, played more video game, and continued to eat unhealthily throughout the day. I could have gotten up early, done some yoga, read a bit, eaten healthily, walked at the local nature preserve (like I planned to), etc., etc.
I didn't, but I could have. And I probably would have felt much more energized, much more peaceful, much more productive, much less gross, and so on.
All by changing how I spent my leisure time. Think what I could have done if I'd even gone the extra mile that Turner suggests and considered paying for someone to help my mom around the house...
The Fringe Hours is, I think, a must-read for every woman. Turner knows what it means to be busy and to feel guilty for even thinking the phrase 'I need some me time.' And she's insistent that it is necessary for women everywhere, regardless of their circumstances, to find fringe hours and use them for themselves. Maybe for you it's going to the gym, or gardening, or playing with your kids. Maybe it is playing video game (sometimes that's what I want). Maybe it's going to church, or praying for an hour. Or taking a nap. What matters is that it makes you happy and whole and you.
As always, I don't own any referenced GIFs. You can "get to gettin'" with Rapunzel, or wake up more slowly (and less gracefully) with Anna by following the links.
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