Prayer. Though I can't claim to be some rock star prayer monk. When I was young, I had a routine that on the bus ride to school I would read a chapter of the B

Prayer. Though I can't claim to be some rock star prayer monk. When I was young, I had a routine that on the bus ride to school I would read a chapter of the Bible then "pray"--which amounted to jotting down notes in a journal. My prayer had three sections. In the first section I would reflect on the previous day and list any wrongs I had committed. This could be as big as lying to evade punishment or as small as procrastination of a task or envying another person's accomplishments. In the second section I made a list of things for which I was thankful. In the last section I jotted down positive intentions for myself and others. Stuff like, "help me be more humble" or "please comfort Sarah during her parents' divorce," etc. Then the bus would pull into the school lot and I would start my day. I found this sort of self-reflection immensely formative. In the bustle of everyday life, it is easy to lose context of yourself and how you fit into the world around you. It was helpful that every day I was reflecting on the great many blessings I had, my own inadequacies and needs, and the needs of others. I suspect it made me more likely to apologize to a friend for something snide I said the other day. And more likely to go out of my way to do something nice for an acquaintance that was having a hard time. Perhaps this is partially my own personality, but I was also rather content with my life at all stages, even during rough times. Cultivating an attitude of thankfulness probably contributed to that contentment. When I turned sixteen and started driving to school, my prayer routine went out the window. It never quite resumed the consistency of those early years. More recently I've started attending morning prayer at the local parish.