Well, it has certainly been a while... The last time I found motivation/inspiration to write a reflection here was over a year ago. I was traveling from Utah back to Michigan and I found myself enjoying a peaceful dinner in the Salt Lake City airport looking out at the mountains...
Since then a great deal has changed. First, the world found itself in the gripes of a global pandemic the likes of which hasn't been seen in over a hundred years.
Naturally, this meant it was the perfect time for me to start a new job in a new city. In July for the second time in my life, I made the move from Michigan south to Ohio. For the past few months, I have been navigating a new job, in a new city, during a pandemic.
Those of you who have heard me talk about the new job have likely heard me talk about one of my struggles being that I have two offices. One for the Residence Life side of my position the other for the Campus Ministry side of my job. The biggest struggle I find myself having with two offices is that inevitably once a week and sometimes once a day I find myself looking for a document or book or note that of course is in the other office.
Oftentimes colleagues and students alike will ask me which office I like better. The honest to God's truthful answer is that I like them both equally but for different reasons. My reslife office is one large room. It's spacious it has a great big window (out of which I often see a woodchuck I've named Kevin) and all in all, is well decorated and set up for meeting with students 1:1. My Campus Ministry office is more of a suite and has three rooms. One has my desk which is ever overly cluttered and very much a lived at desk. The second room is what I started out calling the stress room... It's a small storage/kitchenette space that still needs more organization, but for now, is far less stressful. The third room is my favorite because it has my books and a couple of very comfortable chairs for meeting with students, reading, contemplating, and just sitting in.
At this point, you might be wondering why this reflection is titled "My Third Office" since I just clearly described the two offices I have.
Well, the reason for that is because one night heading home from a meeting around 10:30PM I realized I do in fact have a third office. It's incredibly spacious and has one of my favorite places on campus, but it's not my office alone, and not technically an office at all.
This, of course, is the Chapel of Christ the King. Our humble yet beautiful (even if falling apart in some spaces) chapel on campus.
As I approached the building in which the chapel is a student who only moments ago must have used the automatic door function (I'm sure to avoid touching the handle because of germs and not because of laziness) to open the door the below image lay before me. In this moment, a moment of peace and calm quiet and serenity I saw the Chapel as if for the first time. And it was stunningly beautiful.
Each week I get to spend time in this space. Each week I get to work to prepare everything needed for Sunday Mass and a weekday Mass. Sometimes I do this in a hurried fashion, just trying to get a job done before getting to go home for the day. Other days I really take the time to be present in this space. As both a blessing and a curse at times part of my job is going to Mass.
If I had to pick an "office" that was my favorite it would certainly be the Chapel. From sitting in the choir loft "hiding" from the problems and stresses of everyday life to looking out the stained glass windows pondering, reflecting, and contemplating anything and everything and even at times finding the motivation and inspiration to sing, the thing I know I will always find in this office is comfort and peace, if only for a moment.
If you've made it this far after the above ramblings, then I'm curious to know what your office is like, and where you most find peace?
