Inspiration is all around us... if we just open our eyes

Sometimes we just go through the motions, without even realizing it.  We get up, get ready for the day, have breakfast, work work work, prepare dinner, eat, rest and repeat.  We don't think much beyond what we're doing in the moment, and we complete each task before moving on to the next piece of our day.  Though there might be times where our schedules and routine resemble this monotonous routine, I have to ask: is this really it?  Is this what life becomes?  I hope not!  Though I find comfort in routine and familiarity, I hope that life never becomes quite that predictable.  When the summer months arrive and my routine changes dramatically, it forces me to realize how I often become a creature of habit, perhaps a little too entrenched in the status quo. 
This morning I got to spend some time with a former student of mine who has finished up her second year at an amazing Jesuit college.  She is preparing to head to El Salvador for the fall semester, has been interning at a social work agency this past spring and has taken advantage many other campus ministry-type opportunities in college.  I loved hearing her stories, her questions and found myself feeling a twinge of jealousy.  I think what I was jealous of is how open her world seems to be... that nothing is set in stone and she can change her major or consider an entirely different path.  But then again, why do I seem to think that my world isn't just as wide open?  Though we get entrenched in our routines and ways of being, what's to say we can't drastically change them or create new opportunities for ourselves?  I'm not talking solely about 'work' or how we pay the bills...  I am even talking about how I spend my weekends, my free time in the afternoons, who I talk to and what we talk about, etc.
I have to be honest, the thought of living in dorm rooms, eating Ramen noodles or taking college math classes does not excite me in any way.  So although there was a twinge of jealousy for this college student's life, I am deeply grateful for what my life has become and what I've learned along the way.  Being married to Ryan has helped me to realize that the world really is wide open.  I'm pretty lucky, that I have someone who supports and encourages me- challenging me to not be complacent and continue to grow and foster my desire to learn.  There is something beyond comforting and reassuring in knowing that I face the wide-open world and unknown possibilities with someone by my side and on my team. 
I am excited to share that I've been invited to participate in a day of reflection with the Jesuit Collaborative, an organization that does just that: collaborate with people in the Jesuit family.  I am beyond overjoyed that a friend of mine from graduate school (who also, as it turns out, knew my mom before I was even alive- don't you love how small our world really is?!) is involved with the Collaborative and suggested my name to be included in the workshop this weekend.  I am grateful for the opportunity to re-connect with my Ignatian roots and spend some time meeting other folks in my area.  There is a shared experience and language that comes from being educated at a Jesuit institution, and I look forward to meeting some like-minded folks.  Although this is just a one day event, I am excited to maybe meet, network and be inspired.  It helps to sustain that fire and passion that's been growing inside of me for years now.  If I were still in graduate school, I'd be packing my bags to head up to BC this weekend.  Although I've mentioned there is a lot about living in dorms that is lack luster, I do miss being a part of such an amazing, diverse and inspirational learning community in the summers.  I am grateful that I can spend part of the weekend with folks like the ones who will be studying at BC this summer. 

“Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in a love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the mornings, what you will do with your evenings, how you spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything.”

-attributed to Pedro Arrupe