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! 

My Third Office

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?