Spring Break 2013 - Day 7

As to be expected, the week flew by really quickly. This time around, I can point to my blog entries as proof of the stuff I did, but still... it was quick.

First off, today was Good Friday and while I wasn't thinking "hmm, during Holy Week, I should be at Notre Dame, the most Catholic place I've been before", it happened to work out that way. Since I felt kind of awkward yesterday going to Mass with a hoodie, I stepped it up and wore the dress clothes I brought for the wedding along with my brand new sports coat. Before today, I was skeptical about a sports coat working with khakis but today was a large success in that front.

I spent a little time today back on Notre Dame campus to explore. Since Good Friday is a University holiday for ND, several of the buildings were closed, including the science building and even the welcome center. According to Kyle, the science building has a display case talking about every research project occurring on campus and the display case has them organized based on the scale they reflect. I was able to barely see the large end of the scale, with things like how elements were created, but a locked door got in my way to see more. I was definitely surprised that the welcome center was closed all day today, but the bookstore was open, so I was able to walk around there for a little bit.

My last big walking adventure was going around the two lakes on campus - St Mary's and St Joseph's. Both lakes had trails for people to walk or run around them, but the trails bounced between dirt, pavement, and gravel. The trails were right by the lake shore, and there were several sections that felt more "in the woods" than being on a Div I college campus. I enjoyed the walks since I was able to take that time to reflect - the topics changed, but it included this Lenten season, my life choices, and what lies ahead. I was unsure if I should walk around St Joseph's Lake based on my schedule, but when I saw that there were stations of the cross set up along the walking trail, I figured that Good Friday was as good a day as any.

If you are unfamiliar with the term, the stations of the cross tell the story of the passion of Jesus, from being condemned to death to the crucifixion, to being laid in the tomb. Along the lake, each station had a metal plate with a picture for each event. As I walked along, I saw several people who had small prayer books - they would walk to a station, read a passage from their book, say a prayer, and continue forward. Following the stations of the cross led me away from the lake and there was a life-size iron statue of Jesus on the cross that felt in its own world. When I walked away from the fourteenth and final station, I felt a little lost. Sometimes, churches will add a fifteenth station to depict the resurrection, but it was not the case today. Even though I wasn't sure if I wandered off-path, something inside me said to keep moving. Forge ahead. See what happens. What can I say, I love to pull a metaphor out of seemingly innocent actions.

After I circled both lakes, I went to the basilica for Mass. My friend had already promised her guest seat to a friend of hers, so I had to get there earlier in order to find my own seat. I ended up in the very back row of a side section and while waiting for 30+ minutes, people continued to pour into the church. The Mass was a good experience - the entire reading of the Passion was sung by the presider & choir and the music for the entire service was captivating. I won't try to crack open the mystery right now, but I do feel like my identity with religion has changed over the years. Maybe I'll ponder that later, but no guarantees.

Following the Mass, I met up with my friend and after getting her research materials from the library, we met up with Kyle at a favorited pizza place in town. Apparently I've been in a spinach kick while in South Bend, since I got spinach pasta and it was pretty good. The three of us then went back to our friend's place for more leisure time and Super Mario Bros Wii. We started a new campaign last night and when we left tonight, we had finished the first three worlds. There were a couple of optional stages that we skipped, but it was less about getting 100% and more about pushing forward and defeating castles/dungeons.

I am sad that tonight is my last night in South Bend, but at the same time, I'm ready to get back to Missouri to work and clean. I definitely enjoyed spending time with Kyle and my other friend, so hopefully I can come back again soon. I'll be flying South Bend-Atlanta-Kansas City tomorrow, so I'm happy that all I packed fit into carry-on luggage and that I'll be getting back to Missouri at the reasonable hour of 5pm or so. Here's to a great Spring Break as well as what lies ahead for the Missouri Academy. See you on the other side!