Category Eternal Lent

Time for a Change 2026 (6 of 9)

Todd R Leave a comment

Fellow travelers,

Are there small changes we can make to improve our lives?  For some people, making New Year’s resolutions or celebrating Lent is a good time to work on changes like these, sometimes permanent and sometimes temporary.  My habit is a bit different.  Instead of making New Year’s resolutions or celebrating Lent, every 40 days I try to make a small, but permanent change in my life habits.  This habit of changing habits has been helpful to me and might be to you, even if you have your own way of doing it.

Two days from now (July 20th) will be the 40th day since the last one.  I’ll be making a small change, and I invite you to participate.  If you do, keep a record of what you’re changing.  As the months and years pass, hopefully the cumulative change becomes enormous.

This is all voluntary, so I don’t criticize myself for missing a deadline or going back on something.  If I fail at some of the changes, the successful ones still add up to a significant shift over time.  I don’t always do “spiritual” changes, just something small I think will make my life better, permanently.  For example, one of my goals from 2021 was to drink at least 32 oz of water a day, and I still do it (with an occasional miss).

The next date on the schedule (40 days later) is 8/29/26, and I have a couple of things under consideration for then.  I’ll be posting a reminder at about that time; if you want to participate, start making a list of things you might want to do more or less of, and let’s see what we can accomplish!

Time for a Change 2026 (5 of 9)

Todd R Leave a comment

Fellow travelers,

Are there small changes you can make to improve your life? Are there small things you are doing that are harmful to you?  Can each of us build a better “liturgy” for our lives over time, step by step? Can we accumulate victories in small battles that help us fight bigger ones?  Over time can we better love God, ourselves, and others?

Instead of making New Year’s resolutions or celebrating Lent, every 40 days I try to make a small, but permanent change in my life habits.  I keep a list of the changes I’ve made or want to make.  This is all voluntary, so I don’t criticize myself for missing a deadline or going back on something.  If I fail at some of the changes, the successful ones still add up to a massive shift over time.  I don’t always do “spiritual” changes, just something small I think will make my life better, permanently.  For example, one of my goals from 2021 was to drink at least 32 oz of water a day, and I still do it (with an occasional miss).

Technically yesterday (June 10th) was the 40th day since the last one, but that’s ok.  I’ll still be making a small change (actually revisiting an old change that didn’t stick), and I invite you to participate.  If you do, keep a record of what you’re changing.  As the months and years pass, hopefully the cumulative change becomes enormous. The next date on the schedule (39 days later) is 7/20/26, and I have a couple of things under consideration for then.  I’ll be posting a reminder at about that time; if you want to participate, start making a list of things you might want to do more or less of, and let’s see what we can accomplish!  This habit of changing habits has been helpful to me and might be to you, even if you have your own way of doing it.

Time for a Change 2026 (4 of 9)

Todd R 2 Comments

Fellow travelers,

Are there small changes you can make to improve your life? Are there small things you are doing that are harmful to you?  Can each of us build a better “liturgy” for our lives over time, step by step? Can we accumulate victories in small battles that help us fight bigger ones?  Over time can we better love God, ourselves, and others?

Instead of making New Year’s resolutions or celebrating Lent, every 40 days I try to make a small, permanent change in my life habits.  I keep a list of the changes I’ve made or want to make.  This is all voluntary, so I don’t criticize myself for missing a deadline or going back on something.  If I fail at some of the changes, the successful ones still add up to a massive shift over time.  I don’t always do “spiritual” changes, just something small I think will make my life better, permanently.  For example, one of my goals from 2021 was to drink at least 32 oz of water a day, and I still do it (with an occasional miss).

I’ll be making a small change, and if you want to participate, tomorrow, May 1st, is 120 days after the start of the New Year and time for the next change.  If you do, keep a record of what you’re changing.  As the months and years pass, hopefully the cumulative change becomes enormous. The next date on the schedule (40 days later) is 6/10/26, and I have a couple of things under consideration for then.  I’ll be posting a reminder at about that time; if you want to participate, start making a list of things you might want to do more or less of, and let’s see what we can accomplish!  This habit of changing habits has been helpful to me and might be to you, even if you have your own way of doing it.

Time for a Change 2026 (3 of 9)

Todd R 1 Comment

Fellow travelers,

Are there small things you are doing that are harmful to you? Are there small changes you can make to improve your life? Can each of us build a better “liturgy” for our lives over time, step by step? Can we accumulate victories in small battles that help us fight bigger ones?  Over time can we better love God, ourselves, and others?

Instead of making resolutions or celebrating Lent, every 40 days I try to make a small, permanent change in my life habits.  I keep a list of the changes I’ve made or want to make.  This is all voluntary, so I don’t criticize myself for missing a deadline or going back on something.  If I fail at some of the changes, the successful ones still add up to a massive shift over time.  I don’t always do “spiritual” or major changes, just something I think will make my life better, permanently.  For example, in 2021, I decided to drink at least 32 oz of water a day, and I still do it (with an occasional miss).  My last change was an average daily step goal I started in February.  I’ve met that goal so far.

My change for 3/22/26 is one I’ve tried before (1/1/25), and it worked for a few months, but then it didn’t.  So, I’m going to try it again.  I’m not giving specifics here, but I’ll say it has to do with making better use of my time.

If you want to participate, tomorrow, March 22nd, is 80 days after the start of the New Year and time for the next change.  If you do, keep a record of what you’re changing.  As the months and years pass, hopefully the cumulative change is enormous. The next date on the schedule (40 days later) is 5/1/26, and I have a couple of things under consideration for then.  I’ll be posting a reminder at about that time; if you want to participate, start making a list of things you might want to do more or less of, and let’s see what we can accomplish!  This habit has been helpful to me and might be to you, even if you have your own way of doing it.

Time for a Change 2026 (2 of 9)

Todd R 1 Comment

Fellow travelers,

Are there small things you are doing that are harmful to you? Are there small changes you can make to improve your life? Can each of us build a better “liturgy” for our lives over time, step by step? Can we accumulate victories in small battles that help us fight bigger ones?  Over time can we better love God, ourselves, and others?

Instead of making resolutions or celebrating Lent, I try to make a small, permanent change every 40 days after each New Year.  I keep a list of the changes I’ve made or want to make. Sometimes I do nothing until later – I don’t criticize myself for missing a deadline or going back on something.  This is all voluntary.  If I fail at half (or more) of the changes, the successful ones still add up to a massive shift in habits over time.  The changes don’t need to be “spiritual” or major, they just need to be something I think will make my life better, permanently.  For example, in 2021, I decided to drink at least 32 oz of water a day, and I still do it (with an occasional miss).

If you want to participate, tomorrow, February 10th, is 40 days after the start of the New Year and time for the next change.  If you do, keep a record of what you’re changing.  As the months and years pass, hopefully the cumulative change is enormous.

Photo by Olia Gozha on Unsplash

My change for 2/10/26 is a daily step count goal.  Since late 2024, I’ve been working from home after my company consolidated some of their real estate.  Unfortunately, this means I’ve been getting more and more sedentary over time, especially in winter.  My goal isn’t very aggressive (it’s about 1/3 less than my pre-WFH rate, but it’s about 50% more than what I’ve been doing) but it will be a good improvement for my health.  To keep myself from getting discouraged about missing a day or two (which I will), the goal is an average over time.  The goal is to feel better, not worse.

The next date on the schedule (40 days later) is 3/22/26, and I have a couple of things under consideration for then.  I’ll be posting a reminder at about that time; if you want to participate, start making a list of things you might want to do more or less of, and let’s see what we can accomplish!

This habit has been helpful to me and might be to you, even if you have your own way of doing it.  In the meantime, as I write this, I’m going to go walk the stairs in my house (and drink some water) because outside it feels like 8 degrees and there’s still ice everywhere!