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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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!

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If you have 1 minute…

• ​Morning Offering – A favorite daily morning prayer to offer everything to Jesus, through Mary
• ​The Angelus – Another favorite, I have an alarm to pray this daily at noon, but it’s traditionally prayed at 6am, 12pm, 6pm. I love praying the words, “Behold the handmaid of the Lord, be it done unto me according to Thy Word,” especially in the midst of a busy and uncontrollable day!
• Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, a sinner. That’s it, that’s the Jesus Prayer.
• ​Three Hail Marys for Divine Providence – I pray these daily too, usually in the morning but if I forget I’ll pray throughout the day! Mary is always moving!
• ​St. Michael Prayer – A great one to protect against spiritual attack, I typically pray after mass.

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If you have 3 minutes…

• ​The Litany of Trust – Another mainstay of my prayer life!! I love that a different line sticks out every time I pray it. It’s gorgeous.

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If you have 7 minutes…

• ​Divine Mercy Chaplet – one of the most beautiful prayers in our Church, prayed on Rosary beads. Traditionally prayed at 3pm, for mercy in our own lives and in the lives of the people we love.

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If you have 15 minutes…

• ​The Rosary – A mainstay, for a reason. The Rosary is so powerful. Nothing, nothing, brings me more peace than this prayer. I like to pray mine first thing in the morning or while on a walk. It’s my primary way to pray for intentions, too, and I love being able to offer to pray my Rosary for others they need prayers!

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If you have 30 minutes…

• ​The Mass. Did you know daily mass is only 30 minutes?! Come on. What a gift! I loved this recent video from the CFRs on four reasons to attend the mass. If you can get there, even once a week beyond Sundays, I promise you’ll see it transform your life in profound ways.

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That’s my quick list! Do you have anything to add? Reply to this email and let me know!!
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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!

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​Summer slides​

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!

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​Bible in a minute​

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.

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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!!

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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 🙂