One Minute on the Clock
A few months ago, a TikTok was going around featuring a young woman in her first job, who was freaking out about working every day from 9-5. She complained that after waking up early to commute into the city, working all day, and commuting home, she had no time or energy to do anything else. (I’d link the video, but I can’t quite endorse her colorful language.) And while many people watched it and laughed, I’d argue she made some fair points. I remember working my first 9-5 job (it was more like an 8-7) as an intern in DC, and coming home every night completely wiped out and ready to roll into bed. It took me a while to get on a good enough schedule to squeeze in a few runs and dinners each week, but it was exhausting. Returning to work last fall after grad school was not a walk in the park either; literally, I was used to being able to go for walks in Central Park at 11 am and pilates classes at 3 pm. Now, I’m in an office all day most days, and transitioning back to that lifestyle was hard. If we let them, our work schedules can become easy, breezy excuses for not being able to do a whole lot of other things. Prayer, mass, important quality time with friends, reading, cooking, exercise – it all can go out the window if not prioritized. To be fair, we cannot ignore the seasonality of life. When I was in grad school, I could pray a holy hour almost every day at 4 before mass at 5:15. That’s not the reality of my life anymore, but it doesn’t mean I should throw everything out just because my life (and available time) looks different. Now, I pray way more “little prayers” – prayers that fit into my day on my walk to work, between meetings, in the morning, and at night before bed. They help me stay connected to God during my day and I wanted to share a list with you all this week. If you have a few minutes free in your day today (maybe even right now after you read this?) it could be fun to try something you haven’t done before, or return to a favorite prayer you haven’t said in a while! If you have 1 minute…
If you have 3 minutes…
If you have 7 minutes…
If you have 15 minutes…
If you have 30 minutes…
That’s my quick list! Do you have anything to add? Reply to this email and let me know!! In Christ, Jane What I’m loving lately Counterfeit Gods by Timothy Keller I’m a big Timothy Keller fan, and this book was so darn good. It’s about our hearts, the little idol-making factories, and filled with practical advice to keep our eyes on God in a world that glorifies money, status, fame, and power. I skipped around a bit to chapters I was most interested in (read: started with my vices), but eventually read the rest and highly recommend it! The warm weather has returned to DC, which means my summer wardrobe is out in full force! I’m obsessed with these Madewell Boardwalk Slide Sandals and have recommended them to literally everyone. I think I like them too much because they’re wearing out quickly (I’ve had them for a year don’t worry) and I’ll need a new pair soon! So random but writing today’s newsletter reminded me of the YouTube video “Bible in a Minute” from 15 (yikes) years ago. I used to know every word… church camp. Iykyk. Thank you for your mosquito and allergy recs! Thank you to everyone who offered brilliant recs for dodging mosquitoes and allergies! The resonant themes were to take allergy medicine (Zyrtec and Allegra both highly recommended) in the evenings before bed. Mosquito repellents varied from essential oils to straight up deet spray… I will take it upon myself to test all these methods and report back!! More DC fun This weekend, a few members of my run club and I were invited to attend a Joining Forces workout at the White House for military kids! It was one of the most fun things I’ve gotten to do in DC – we did pushups and jumping jacks and then ran laps around the South Lawn with the cutest kids ever! This section remains the DC propaganda section, and I do not apologize for it 🙂 |
Prayer requests
- For a special intention
- For my Dad, celebrating his 60th birthday today!!
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Jane was born in Australia, raised in California, and is overjoyed to now call NYC home. She graduated from UCSB with degrees in Political Science and Communication and spent the past two years working in criminal justice reform. She is currently an MBA student at NYU Stern, focusing on entrepreneurship and strategy.