Panther Pause

As I begin to prepare to return to Michigan for the holidays I am left completely bewildered as to how quickly the last five-plus months have gone. In my last post, I wrote down some wandering thoughts about my various offices on campus. With this post, I want to go back just a bit further in my time here at ODU. 

Specifically, I find myself thinking back to the middle of June. Somewhere around June 16th or so my sister and I made the 5 ish hour drive from Grand Rapids to Columbus and just after noon I parked in what is my now everyday parking spot and stepped into the parking lot of what has been home for the past five months. Standing in the parking lot in a button-down and some nice red/salmon shorts I meet my new boss in person for the first time. 

During this initial greeting/small talk exchange, while waiting to meet my other new boss (yup, two offices means two bosses, and I suppose if you want to get super technical and cheesy about it three offices really means three bosses #Jesus) an airplane flew overhead. Now naturally there are often times airplanes flying the friendly skies overhead all the time and we never even notice. ODU however, is located close enough to the airport that planes flying overhead are loud enough that they interrupt your conversation. Even when on a virtual call with the office window open the planes can interrupt. 

Now while I think it would be easy to find this overhead interruption annoying I personally find it nice, moreover, ODU has taken to calling these interruptions, these moments when an airplane interrupts a panther pause. Named after ODU being the Panthers, thus the title of this post. 

Personally, I think there are two possible reasons for why I not only don't find these pauses annoying but actually rather enjoy them. One is because I rarely find pauses annoying. As many of you get to hear me say with some regularity "don't be hasty." Sure there is a lot to get done and I should really be reading that book article etc. that doesn't mean I need to rush. The second reason, the one that I have been thinking about since June, is that these airplanes, these panther pauses remind me of church bells. 

You may be wondering 'what in the hell is Mike talking about...has he truly gone round the bend? Airplanes sound nothing like church bells.' In this observation, you are absolutely correct. Planes do not sound like church bells. And yet to a certain degree, they do an excellent job at accomplishing what church bells are meant to do... 

Church bells ring not merely to make noise, not merely to indicate the hour and the passage of time, but are meant to call us to prayer. Fundamentally, the bells ring to call our attention to God. 

And so for the past 5 months and I hope for many months to come when I hear the plane passing overhead, I strive to truly pause. Not just because the plane is too loud, not just to see what airline the plane belongs to, but to completely and fully be present to that moment and in that moment draw my attention to God.  

Yes, this is Notre Dame, I, of course, cannot think about church bells without also thinking about The Hunchback of Notre Dame!