The start of the New Year make it obvious how much of our life is governed by our habits. For twelve months we have been writing 2018 on dated material like checks and letters. It will take three to six weeks for some of us to consistently remember to write 2019. That amount of time is said to be the amount of time required to develop a new habit. This explains, in part, why New Year’s Resolutions fail. If we could sustain the resolution for a month or six weeks, the new habit would take over. Unfortunately, this idea applies to both good and bad habits. Our intentions are often good but our habits may greatly influence how those intentions are carried out. Traveling down Lindberg Road from our house toward the PayLess store on Cross Street, I turned into the street to the church without even thinking about what I was doing. All this makes me wonder about my habits. Do I need to think more about how I might shape better, more efficient habits? Are my practices in touch with my best values? Do they match my faith commitments? Are they the practices which are guided by my relationship with God and other people? Do they strengthen my family ties? Are they the best practices for my own health, physically, mentally and spiritually? Too much focus on such things could become obsessive, but the New Year is a good time to think a bit about my best habits.