Why I Love my S-"Pray Tan" Time

I am not sure if you are like me, but I sometimes feel like my prayer life could be much more substantial.  I have friends and family that have a much richer and regular prayer life than I seem to have - both formal and informal.  I am so inspired by their holy example and have begun to examine how I can make some improvements in this area.  Like some people, I make excuses for my lackluster attempts: I don't have time, I lose focus, I get called away by someone calling me or my phone dinging. 

I have mentioned the rosary before in past articles but that can be a challenge for me.  I have decided to look for little pockets in my day that I can use to really give God my undivided attention for smaller chunks of time.  For example, I enjoy going for a spray tan regularly in winter and there is about five minutes to wait for the booth to warm up.  I have started using this time to get in a number of Hail Mary’s to which I have begun to look forward each time.  I started affectionately calling it my ‘pray tan’!

I decided to use a red light as a chance to get in one prayer of my choice. It really helped shift my focus from frustration of the red light to a welcome opportunity to connect quickly with the Lord. Our family prays for anyone at the scene of an accident as well as the workers attending to that accident.  My son loves participating in these prayers in the car and it is a lovely example to him of how to invite Jesus into our daily lives.  Next, I plan to set an alarm for the three o’clock hour each day to remember the Lords’ passion and Divine Mercy.

I realize that this is a small step in my day towards a more fruitful prayer life, but I see it as a step in the right direction.  Do you see this as a viable way to fit in more moments of prayer in your own day?