During the forty days of Lent, you are invited to take better care of your soul. Here is a list of some traditional and not so traditional spiritual disciplines that may help you to grow in the knowledge and love of God.

1. Call old friends to catch up, and thank them for being in your life
2. Listen to music that moves you
3. Refrain from gossiping and saying unkind things about others
4. Go on a news/media fast for a period of time to lesson your anxiety
5. Take more naps
6. Volunteer at a local soup kitchen
7. Clean out your closets and get rid of the unwanted stuff in your life
8. Write a letter to a person who has wronged you, and then throw it away
9. Participate in worship
10. Give up drinking alcohol for Lent
11. Set aside time each day to sit quietly with God, praying
12. Read a book on spirituality by Henri Nouwen or Anne Lamott
13. Give up eating out as much and donate that money to feed the hungry
14. Make a list of five year, ten year, and twenty year goals for your life
15. Spend more quality time with family and friends
16. Participate in a class or retreat at your church
17. Consider taking a break from people who are a toxic influence in your life
    

    I took this photo in Sorrento, Italy, where the lemon trees bear the largest and most flavorful fruit I’ve ever tasted. It reminds me that the fruits of the spirit will grow abundantly in the right setting.

18. Exercise daily, breathing deeply, and giving thanks to God for your body
19. Make a list of those whom you may have hurt
20. Consider taking responsibility and making apologies
21. Work to mend broken relationships
22. At the end of each day, create a gratitude list
23. Read the New Testament
24. Cook and eat more consciously, making healthier choices, to be truly nourished
25. Take stock of your finances and create a plan that reflects your values
26. Tour a museum to enjoy looking at art
27. Watch movies that make you laugh and cry
28. Write a list of the things for which you feel sorry, your sins, and then ask God to forgive you, burning the list afterwards
29. Spend time in nature noticing God’s hand at work in creation
30. Go to the doctor or dentist, to care of your body
31. Practice Breath Prayer while driving and waiting in lines, inhaling and exhaling and saying a mantra like, “God in me. Me in God.”
32. Pick out a person you are worried about and do something thoughtful for them
33. Choose a justice issue that worries you and talk with a friend about it
34. Go to Starbucks less often and send the money you saved to your favorite charity
35. Write a little every day, perhaps in a journal, even if it is just lists of things that are on your mind
36. Take a road trip with a friend
37. Consider how your work can be more like a ministry, day in and day out
38. Make a list of the hymns and readings that you want to have at your own funeral
39. Do less or do more, to achieve better balance in your life
40. Resolve to spend time with people who may help you to become the person God intends you to be

—The Rev. Mary Luck Stanley