March 7th, 2018:

	Outing myself here.  I read with great interest Tomasino's latest 
phlog post about praying The Rosary [1].  Chiefly, because I'm a 
practicing Catholic myself (joined in 2012), but also because I have a 
great love of this particular devotion.

My wife introduced me to The Rosary shortly after I expressed interest in 
the church.  I'd been brought up in a non-practicing Anglican home, but 
was largely agnostic.  I also tended to disparage Catholics in my younger 
days, although this was more a cultural thing than anything doctrinal.  
The Rosary was a bit alien to me at first, Hell, the concept of any 
repetitious devotional struck me as alien or cult-like.  But I gave it a 
chance.

Like Tomasino, I experienced what is known as "Monkey Mind", where your 
mind keeps jumping from thought to thought, everywhere but where you're 
focusing.  I found it difficult at first to concentrate on the Hail Marys, 
the signifigance of each Decade, et cetera, the first few times.  Over 
time, I got the hang of it by focusing first on my friends, loved ones, 
and acquaintances in need, then by focusing on what each decade meant and 
represented.

I attribute my psychological well-being to The Rosary and other Catholic 
Chaplets such as the Divine Mercy Chaplet.  I've had anger and anxiety 
issues all my life, and since I've been praying in this manner often, I 
find my issues have largely subsided.  You can attribute this to the 
intercession of a higher power, or by the therapeutic properties of 
repetition and focus, but however you interpret it, it works for me.

--

So, now I've outed myself as religious, and a practicing Catholic to boot.  
But don't worry, I don't plan on writing about it again.  Too divisive.

References:
[1] gopher://sdf.org:70/1/users/tomasino/phlog/20180306-the-rosary